A DUFF Tale
by FictionWriter91
Summary: When Bianca leaves a stunned Toby and heads for her special place, she sees Wesley macking on the worst girl in the world, Madison. Instead of her slipping away into the night, Wes sees her and chases her, Madison not far behind. A terrible accident occurs, and everything is left hanging in the balance. Will anything ever be the same again?
1. Shattered

**Bianca**

Stupid Toby. What an ass. How could she have been SO utterly blind? Bianca felt her feet guiding her without really thinking. There was only one place she needed to go and that was her think rock. Then she wanted to call Wes. Or not. This kept racing around in her head like two mice. Why would he care anyway? Why did she even want to? Because she had thought of him the entire night? She shook her head hard. No. Nope. Uh uh. She was NOT going to fall for Wes the manwhore...right? Possibly. Damn it. She wanted to scream in frustration. She reached the familiar path when something made her stop. Something made her look up from the ground. And there he was. With her. Madison. SERIOUSLY?! She was furious and sad and pissed off and heart broken all at once. And he was kissing her like she showed him! Jerk. Wanker. Knob. Jackass. Dickhead. She was rhyming off all her names for him in her mind. She opened her mouth then closed it. What good what it do anyway? Madison would just put out another shameful video of her, and she'd go into hiding forever. She was staring too long. She knew she had to leave. Almost as if he sensed her, he looked over at her.

"B?" he called, squinting. Madison was huffing, clearly annoyed at the interruption. "Is that you?"

"Nope," Bianca said. She spun on her heel and started running. Oh man. She really needed to get back in shape.

"B! Wait up!"

Was he seriously following her right now?! Crap. She couldn't out run him. She knew that.

"Wesley!" Madison was shouting now. "What are you doing? Get back here NOW!"

"B!"

 _I'm not listeniiiiing!_ Bianca was thinking to herself. _Faster, faster, go, go, go!_ She had reached the road.

"B! Come on!" Wes was yelling behind her. "Let me explain!"

 _Explain what? That you used my teachings on that stupid bitch?! Nuh uh. Not gonna let you explain._ Bianca was feeling so, so stupid right now. Of course Wes wasn't into her. Why would he even want to be? She was almost to her car.

"BEEEEE!" Wesley's voice sounded strange. She turned around to face him while still running, and then it all went black.

 **Wesley**

OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod. Wes was freaking out. He just watched Bianca get hit by a car. A car! A freaking car! It was like slow motion, her body going up onto the windshield and then over and off the end onto the road. She didn't move.

"WESLEY!" Madison had caught up to him now. "What the hell are you doing chasing her?! She's nothing! Do you hear me?"

"She might be dead," Wes said, pointing. "Shut up and call 911."

"What?! No! You do it!" she shrieked, seeing Bianca's lifeless form.

"Madison!" Wes shouted. "Do it NOW!" He sped over to B. The driver hadn't even stopped. Wes was trying very hard to remember any detail about the car. It had happened so fast. Was it black? No. Red? No. White? Aarghh! His memory was failing him. He had nothing.

"B, B, B," he was chanting, sliding across the pavement to her. "Don't be dead. Please don't be dead!" He felt for vitals. He panicked when he didn't feel anything, but then there it was. Very, very faint, but it was there.

"Madison!" he shouted, seeing her still standing there.

"Right!" she said, pulling out her phone. Honestly what was WRONG with her? Wes almost hated Madison in this moment. He pulled off his hoodie and wrapped it around Bianca. He wasn't sure why. Maybe cos it just seemed the only thing he could do. He knew he couldn't move her for broken bones.

"They're coming!" Madison called to him. She wasn't about to go any closer than she had to.

"Don't you die on me, Bianca Piper, you hear me?" Wes said to her. "This is my fault. All my fault. I know you're agreeing with me right now. You have to be." He heard sirens finally after what seemed like a lifetime. Madison backed away, unsure of what else to do. The paramedics rushed over.

"What happened, son?" one asked him.

"She was hit by a car," Wes said. "I saw it happen. The guy didn't stop..."

"Another hit and run," the medic said, shaking his head. "I'd swear it's becoming like a serial killer situation." Wes watched as they gently put Bianca on the stretcher, hooking her up to equipment.

"Can I come?" he asked as they loaded her into the ambulance.

"Are you family?"

"No."

"Then I'm sorry."

"But...!"

The doors closed in his face.

"Wes, come on. Let's go," Madison said, pulling at him. He yanked away. His best friend was possibly dying. He was not going home. The ambulance started to move. He made up his mind.

"WES!" Madison screamed as he started running after it. He was going with her whether they wanted him to or not.

 **Madison**

Her boyfriend (well, sort of boyfriend) is an ass. A complete asshole. There he goes after that dumb DUFF instead of staying here and comforting her. The nerve! She clenched her fists with rage, but released them again. Let him go. It would get it out of his system. Maybe she would die.

 _Do you really want that?_ her inner voice asked. Did she? She thought about it. It wouldn't really affect her that much. It would help her audition tape for her reality show though. She paused. Was she really thinking this right now? She pulled out her phone.

"Mom?" she said into it. "Can you come get me? I'm scared."

 **Jess & Casey**

"Are you feeling a weird vibe right now?" Jess asked Casey. They were studying together at Jess's place. Casey looked up at her, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just feel...weird, like someone close to me is hurting or something," Jess went on.

"You're a weird one," Casey laughed. "That's a twin thing."

"A twin thing," Jess echoed. "Yea. I think you're right." She shivered. She still felt very unsettled, but she did her best to ignore it.

 **Bianca**

Where the heck was she? Bianca felt like she was floating. It was still dark. She couldn't seem to open her eyes. She vaguely heard voices, but they were muffled and nonsensical. She definitely couldn't move.

 _Oh, this is bad_ , she thought. _I hope Mom isn't too mad at me after this._

 **Dottie**

She was just starting to wonder where her daughter was when she saw an ambulance fly past the house. She could have sworn a man was running behind it like a crazy person. It sort of looked like...Wesley? Wesley Rush? But why would he chase after a...?

"Oh my God," she said out loud. She grabbed her keys and ran for her car. There was only one reason Bianca's friend would be chasing after an ambulance. She tried calling Bianca one more time just in case as she got into her car. No answer.

"Shit!" Dottie swore. She threw the car in reverse and squealed out of the driveway. As she raced to catch up with them, she fought off the tears. Might be nothing. Might just be a broken leg. They call ambulances for that, right? An allergic reaction? She shook her head. She refused to think the worst at this moment. It wasn't going to help her at all.

 **Wesley**

His lungs were on fire. He wasn't even sure how he was still managing to keep up. Probably because it was pure adrenaline. When they finally arrived at the hospital, he went bursting through the doors panting and gasping for air. He received some concerned looks from staff.

"Fine, I'm fine," he said, waving his hand. He bent down, holding his knees with his hands. His heart was going to explode, he was sure of it. He saw the medics bring her in on the fly. He hurried after them.

"Sir? Sir!" a nurse called. "You can't go in there."

"I have to..."

"Sit tight," she ordered. "She has to go to surgery." He knew that. Of course he did. He sat down just as Bianca's mother came flying through the doors.

"Wesley!" she shouted, approaching him. "What's happened?!"

"How did you...?"

"Saw you through my window. Now tell me what's going on!" Dottie demanded. Wes told her as best as he could. Dottie cried out in anguish. She ran to the nurse's station.

"I have to see her. She's my daughter!" she was yelling.

"Ma'am, we need you to calm down," the nurse was saying.

"I CAN'T BLOODY WELL CALM DOWN!" Dottie shrieked. "MY DAUGHTER IS IN THERE AND MAY BE DYING I HAVE TO SEE HER!"

"She's in surgery," the nurse said calmly. "You can't see her until it's over." Dottie was shaking and looked like she was going to reach over and slap the smug look of the nurse's face when Wes went and took her arm.

"Come on Mrs. P," he said. "Let's just sit and wait together." Dottie gave the nurse one final look that would have made anyone hide under their desk. The nurse looked like she wanted to.

"I don't understand," Dottie was saying over and over. "She was with Toby! How did she end up with you?" Wes again did his best to explain. He left out the fact that B was upset she saw him with Madison. Why stir up the drama? Eventually Dottie went looking for a doctor, so Wes was by himself. He kept wringing his hands. He didn't even care if his parents worried about him, as if they would. He would stay here all night if he had to. It was his B. She needed to know that he was here and that he cared. He really did care. He didn't remember falling asleep. Everything just seemed so surreal. Perhaps it was all just a dream.

 **My first DUFF fanfic. (I don't own either the book or the movie or any of the characters). I am basing this from the movie mostly. I have been playing around with this idea for a while. I hope it's received positively. I'm always nervous when I first put out a story. I await at least two reviews before I post the next chapter!**


	2. Coma

**Thank you for your reviews! As promised, here's another chapter :)**

 **Madison**

She waited all night for Wes to call. He didn't. She was really quite angry with him. She whipped out her phone.

 **Still nothing from W!** she texted Caitlyn.

 **What a jerk** , Caitlyn's text came back fast. **Doesn't he realize how upset you are?!**

 **Thought I knew him better than that** , Madison answered. She flung herself back onto her pillows. Her mother had done her best to soothe her and make her feel better, but she wanted Wesley. Needed Wesley. Where the hell was he? She tried calling him again, but he didn't answer. Boy was he going to get it at school tomorrow. Madison turned her light off and tried to sleep. For some reason, she kept seeing Bianca's body on the road whenever she closed her eyes. It was rather unnerving.

 **Wesley**

Madison's number flashed on his screen for the 20th time. Wes ignored it. He did not need her drama right now. She didn't even like Bianca so why would she be "so totally freaked out" right now? That was just one of her hundreds of text messages. The girl had no heart did she? He was getting very sore from sleeping in such a small chair. The floor looked almost inviting. He just wanted to see B. He had to know she was all right. She had felt so lifeless back on the road. He tried to keep the image of her flying off the car out of his mind, but it was impossible. He wondered what she had been thinking, if anything.

"Go home, Wesley," Dottie said from the other chair beside him. "You're not helping her by staying up all night. Go home. I'll let you know when she wakes up."

"I want to be here when she does," Wes argued. "I'm staying right here." He pointed to his chair emphatically to make his point. Dottie just looked at him for a moment, and he could tell she was contemplating whether or not she felt like hauling his butt out the door. He knew she would too.

"You're a good friend, Wesley," Dottie said instead. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. He smiled briefly at his victory. He wondered if B's dad would show up.

 **Dottie**

If that asshole father of Bianca's showed up here she would punch him in the throat. Oh yes she would. He wouldn't be of any help anyway, not that he'd actually care to sit here all night waiting. She hadn't bothered to tell him either. It hadn't really crossed her mind until right now that perhaps he might need to know his daughter was possibly dying.

 _Crap._

Dottie pulled her phone out. Three a.m. Nothing would please her more than to haul his sorry butt out of bed. She paused. What if he didn't come? What would Bianca think of him then? She already thought he was a lousy dad for abandoning them and taking the dog. To know he didn't care if she lived or died would push her over the edge.

"You'll always wonder if you didn't," Wesley said suddenly. She looked to see him watching her. "If it was me and my parents, I'd have wanted mom to try."

"And you wouldn't have been devastated when he didn't show up?" she asked, incredulous.

"I'd be mad, yes, but then at least I'd know," Wesley shrugged.

"You'd rather know your dad doesn't care than your mom lying and saying she forgot to call him?" Dottie questioned.

"In a way, yes. That would tell me that my mom really cared."

Ouch. That was a low blow.

"Are you saying I'm not a caring mother if I don't invite Bianca's heartless father here to see her die?" Dottie challenged.

"A: Bianca is not going to die, and two: I'm not saying that, but it might be construed that way," Wesley said carefully.

"Hmmm," Dottie said, narrowing her eyes slightly. The kid had a point. She dialed. He answered in that middle of the night groggy voice people have when called during the witching hour.

"Mike, you need to get to the hospital here now," Dottie said without saying it was her. "It's Bianca."

"Wuz goin' on?" Mike almost slurred.

"Are you drunk?!" Dottie shrieked.

"Naw, naw, just really tired. Dot, it's three a.m. Just get to the point."

"Your daughter has been hit by a car," Dottie said crisply. "She may or may not die. Get your sorry ass over here now and sit vigil with me. I mean, not _with_ me with me just with me in the sense that you're in the same building in case she wakes up."

"A'ight I'm comin'," Mike mumbled. The phone clicked off. Dottie looked over at Wesley.

"We're seriously going to regret this," she said.

 **Mike**

Holy shit. His daughter might be dying! Mike rolled out of bed and grabbed clothes. He didn't care if they made sense. He tripped over the dog. The dog. Damn, who was gonna feed it? Can't think about that now. He rushed downstairs, grabbing his keys. He was amazed Dottie even called him. He felt panic rise. Would Bianca even want to see him? He paused in the middle of the doorway. He convinced himself to go. It would be better that he showed up and she turned him away than him not going at all.

 **Bianca**

It was like floating on fluffy clouds. There was no up or down. There wasn't really any sound. It was just a dullness all around her. Was she going to be stuck here forever? She hoped not. She felt drowsy again. Sleep felt good. What she really wanted, though, was to wake up.

 **Wesley**

"You can go see her now," the nurse said almost timidly. Wes shot up out of his chair as though he'd been electrocuted. Dottie wasn't too far behind him. His heart sank when he saw her sitting there with tubes everywhere. He looked at Dottie and saw that she was crying.

"My poor girl," she was whimpering. "My poor little girl." Wes felt his throat tighten. He didn't think his parents would react like this if it was him. They were too busy trying to kill each other to even notice he hadn't come home that night. Not one single text or phone call from them asking, "where are you?" He reached out and gently touched B's hand. It felt clammy. He closed his eyes, breathing hard. Dottie's crying didn't help. Footsteps behind them made them both turn.

"Hello," the doctor said. He introduced himself. "Your daughter has suffered a major trauma. Quite frankly, she is very lucky to be alive. We're leaving her on a ventilator for now. The swelling in her brain has gone down a little, but it needs to go down much more before things will start to heal. She...she may or may not wake up."

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Doc," Dottie said, getting angry. "All that time in surgery and that's what you have to tell me? What did you do to her for hours in there then?"

"Mrs. Piper," the doctor said.

"Ms.," Dottie corrected him crisply.

"Ms. Piper," he started again. "We released some of the pressure in her brain to lower the swelling. It takes time for it to all go away. We had to repair some broken bones and address her wounds. She suffered massive trauma."

"Yes, we know," Dottie said, frustrated. "That's what happens when you're hit by a bloody moving car."

"I'm glad you understand," the doctor said breezily. "We will monitor her here for now. She will be in a coma. She may or may not be able to hear you. This could take a long time."

"Then you better get used to seeing us here," Dottie replied. The doctor bowed his head with a very small smile and then left. Wes was grateful she said "us." Or maybe she meant her and B's dad. It didn't matter. He was going to be here just as much. More steps and then Mike Piper was in the doorway.

 **Mike**

 _Oh boy. She's gonna punch me._ Mike felt very afraid of Dottie for a moment. She was standing there glaring at him like she wished he hadn't come. Then why did she call? And who was the boy? Bianca's boyfriend?

"You showed up," Dottie said stiffly.

"You called. It's the least I could do," he answered a little sarcastically. He glanced at his little girl lying there like that. He felt very small suddenly.

"And here we go with the smarmy comebacks!" Dottie said, throwing her hands up in the air. "That only took five seconds."

"Look, just tell me the update, and I'll leave," Mike said.

"She's in a coma. She might never wake up. That's what we know as of this moment," Dottie explained.

"Okay," Mike said, nodding. "I'll be out in the lobby."

"Why?" she asked.

"Cos you made it clear you can't stand to look at my ugly mug," Mike replied. He knew he was egging her on. They always could fight. He left before Dottie could fire another verbal knife at him.

 **Bianca**

Was that my _Dad_? Bianca was thinking, astounded. He actually came! He really did care! She heard Wes, and she heard her mother. She also heard that doctor say she might never wake up. The nerve! Did he not realize how tough she was? She was going to beat this thing or, well, die trying.

"B, wake up soon," Wes was saying to her.

 _I'm trying!_ she shouted at him. Of course, no sound came out of her mouth. Wait, did he just...? He did! He totally kissed her forehead. Her mother must not have seen it. She would have commented.

"Wesley is a true friend," her mother said after a moment. "We're going home to rest and change okay? We'll be back soon."

 _I'm not going anywhere_ , Bianca told her. Then it was silent for a moment.

"I love you, baby," her father's voice reached her. "I'm here. I came. I know you're probably angry at me, but I don't care. I'm here. I'm not leaving either."

Geezaloo! Those were the nicest things she'd heard him say in a long time. Too bad they couldn't earn him brownie points with her mother. She assumed he had snuck in after she left. If only she would wake up! It was extremely frustrating. Then like always, the sleep overwhelmed her, and it was all black again.


	3. Truce

**Thank you Elizabeth Richards, Blackcat 256 and Godric's Girl Forever for your reviews! I hope you all like this chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed putting miss Madison in her place.**

 **Wesley**

He crept into his house. It sounded like the aftermath of a bomb explosion-too silent. No doubt they had been at it again.

"Wes?" his mother asked tentatively. He jumped, not knowing she was there. "Where were you?"

"Out," he mumbled. His mother wouldn't understand.

"Oh. Well, we were worried..."

"Were you? Were you really? Or was I just more ammunition in your fight with Dad?" Wes shot at her. His mother flinched. He knew he was right. He left her there hugging herself and dragged himself to his room. He briefly looked at his phone again, but this time he noticed he had a voicemail. Intrigued, he stared at it. Why didn't he see it until now? He listened to it.

"Wes..." Bianca's crying voice sounded. "It's me..."

 _No, no, no, no..._

She had called him! He hadn't been there! What if he had just answered? He now remembered his phone buzzing and flipping it to voicemail without looking at the screen. It had been her. He had been with Madison. Oh, he was stupid. Then she found him there doing what he had been doing. It was Madison's fault. She had caught him at his lowest, acted all loving and caring, and started confiding her fears and worries to him. It had all felt so genuine. In reality, he had wished it was B with him, and he had kissed Madison without really thinking about it all the while picturing B in his head. He really was stupid.

"Aaarrrghh!" he shouted, throwing his phone. It was all too late. B could die, and it was all his fault.

 **Dottie**

She didn't sleep. She couldn't. Her daughter was lying in a bed with her brain God knows where, and she was here trying to sleep? What kind of mother was she? She sat up, throwing the blankets off. She was going back there, that's what. A true mother sits vigil beside her sick child. She paused at the door. What if Mike was still there? She shook her head hard. He wouldn't. He, unlike her, didn't feel guilt about these types of things. He had probably drank some more beer and went back to bed. She really didn't think she could bear being in the same room as him. She drove back to the hospital without really noticing that she was driving. She re-entered the building, saw the same nurse from before flinch openly and hide her face behind files, and walked up to her daughter's room to sit until she woke up.

 **Madison**

She looked for Wes all morning. She couldn't find him, and he was still not answering her texts. She was growling in frustration when she saw Jess and Casey.

"Hey, girls," she said smoothly, coming up beside them. They paused, hesitant. She enjoyed that they, like everyone, feared her a little bit.

"What's up?" Casey asked, getting to the point.

"Have you seen Wes?" Madison asked. They shook their heads.

"No," Jess said. "And we haven't seen Bianca either. I mean, we know she's avoiding us and all, but we usually still see her."

"Hmm," Madison said, looking at her nails. She was deciding whether or not to tell them.

"Are we done here?" Casey asked, tugging on her hair absently. A nervous tic, Madison thought.

"Yes," Madison said, spinning on her heel and leaving them. Let them find out on their own. She was heading to class when she caught sight of him.

"Wesley!" she shouted. He ducked out of view. She charged after him. He was making his way to the principal's office. "WES!" He ignored her still. Madison was furious now. She shoved the office door open to see Wes slip into the principal's private room.

"You can't go in there," the secretary announced, giving Madison a level glare over her glasses. Madison huffed.

"I'll wait right here then," she sneered. She sat in the chair opposite. Old witch. Who did she think she was anyway? A moment later, the door opened with Wes and a shocked looking principal exiting.

"Thank you, Wesley, for telling me. Take care of yourself, okay?" he was saying.

"I will, thanks," Wes said, leaving and brushing past Madison. Her jaw dropped when he didn't even look at her.

"Young lady," the principal said. "Get to class."

"I'm going!" she snapped. She fled after Wes.

"Wait! Wesley!" she practically screamed. He finally stopped, spinning around.

"What, Madison?" he asked, arms crossed.

"Why aren't you answering me? Why are you doing this? Why do you even care? My God! I thought you cared about me! I've been here all this time scared and upset, and you won't even comfort me..."

"Because it's not. about. YOU!" he shouted. Madison froze. She wasn't used to him talking to her like that.

"I..well...you..."

"Not everything is about you. Stop making this about you! You don't even give a shit, so stop creating drama and managing to get all the sympathy like this happened to you and not Bianca," Wes said angrily. "Just stop it."

"Screw you, Wesley," Madison said, turning to go.

"No, no!" he called after her. "Screw YOU!" She picked up her pace. Jess and Casey were watching, awestruck. They hurried after Wesley because after all, he mentioned Bianca's name.

 **Jess & Casey**

They caught up with him at the school's exit. He turned around expecting Madison again, but his face softened when he saw who it was.

"What's going on?" Jess demanded. "You were shouting B's name back there. Is she okay?" Casey was nodding along with Jess. Wes closed his eyes briefly, dreading having to be the one to tell them.

"She got hurt last night. It was an accident. The driver didn't stop..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Casey said. "Slow down. The driver? As in a car? Wes! What the hell happened?!"

"She was running, and the car came, but it didn't stop. It hit her, but they didn't stop. I can still see it..." Wes pinched his nose. "She's in a coma. They don't know if she'll wake up."

"I knew it!" Jess cried. "I told you I felt something was wrong!"

"Okay, okay," Casey said, rubbing Jess's shoulder. "You were right. Now let's just regroup here. Wes, where are you going?"

"Back to the hospital. Principal gave me permission to miss a few days."

"We're coming with you," Casey said firmly.

"Okay," Wes said, not arguing. He knew better.

 **Bianca**

Awake again, or whatever you want to call this type of consciousness. If she listened carefully, she could hear other voices almost. Was this like a shared thing? Were there other victims here with her? It kind of creeped her out. If she was going to be here, whatever "here" was, she wanted it all to herself.

"We're here, B," Jess's voice came to her. Jess! Bianca was thrilled. They did care!

"Hurry up and come back to us," Casey added. "We're not doing life without you."

"She looks so bad," Jess was crying.

"I know," Wes replied. Wesley! He came back too!

"Now look here," Dottie said. Oh geez, Mum. Don't wreck everything. "You can't be missing school. I promise to call when anything happens."

"I have permission to be here," Wes said. Bianca didn't hear any argument from her Mum. This made her happy.

"We'll get permission. Otherwise, we'll be here at night," Casey said. Then it went quiet. B strained her ears, but she couldn't hear anything anymore.

 _Talk to me!_ she screamed. _I need to hear you!_

"It's all my fault, B," Wes was whispering in her ear. She shivered. "I should have answered your call." Damn right he should have. She remembered calling him once and wanting to call him again. Did she call him twice? She must not have as he was only saying the once. He was holding her hand. He seriously got permission to skip school to be here with her. That was a big gesture. She supposed it was anyway, this being her first coma and all. What was considered a big gesture in this case? She stopped obsessing about that. She was just glad he was there.

 **Mike**

They were back, the boy and Dottie. He hovered outside the door. He was a little annoyed. He had been hoping to be alone with Bianca for a while before they returned. He left to wander the halls. He didn't feel up to fighting just yet. Instead he wondered who the boy was. He looked familiar. He snapped his fingers. Of course! The neighbor boy. Gus? Russ? Jess? Wes! That's it. Wes Rush. He wondered how much Wes had heard of his fights with Dottie and what he thought of him. Why that mattered, he wasn't really sure. He ended up back at B's door. It was time to go in.

 **Wesley**

Wes immediately noticed the tension between Mr. and Mrs. Piper. Ms. he reminded himself. Ms. Piper. It reminded him so much of his own parents. His eyes flicked to see each of their faces, and it didn't look good.

"Look," he said, jumping to his feet. "Let's just call a truce, okay? I don't think it's good for B to hear you two fighting in here. Can you just keep the conversation light and casual? For Bianca?"

"I can do that," Dottie said, jutting her chin out. "Can you, Mike?"

"Yes," he replied. "I can." Mike sat down far away from Dottie. Wes breathed a sigh of relief. Bomb number one diffused. They all sat in silence. Wes was finally forced to go home to eat by Dottie after a few hours, and he left begrudgingly. He hadn't really noticed his hunger until he was home. Even there, it was careful conversation and a lot of silence. Wes wasn't sure if he could handle two sets of angry parents all the time. It was very taxing. It was a distraction from thinking about B though. Every time he thought about her, his stomach hurt, and he wanted to be sick. He heard a knocking on the door downstairs. After a few moments, his name was being hollered by his dad. Go figure. He went down, expecting Madison, but was shocked by who was actually standing there.

"Hey," Toby said. "I hear you are the one to talk about Bianca?" Wes gripped the door hard, his knuckles actually cracking from the pressure.

"Why do you care?" Wes snapped. "If you hadn't been a dick, she wouldn't be where she is now!"

"Whoa! Hey!" Toby said, holding his hands out. "This is not my fault!"

"You're still an ass, and I speak for Bianca when I say, piss off," Wes said, slamming the door in Toby's face. He stormed back upstairs to his room. The nerve of that asshole! Coming crawling for information when he was the one who pushed B out of their so called date that early.

 _But who was the one who didn't answer their phone?_ that voice echoed in his ears tauntingly.

"Me!" Wes cried. "It was me. All me. B, I'm so sorry. B, oh B, please forgive me!" But of course, she couldn't hear him.

 **Dottie**

"I'm going for some dinner. Are you able to sit here or are you gonna just take off again?" she asked Mike.

"I'm staying," he answered irritably.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she muttered to herself as she left. He bit back his response, she knew. He really was trying. Good for Wesley to place boundaries right at the start. Lord knows she wouldn't have. The thing was, she really just wanted to talk to Mike. Really talk to him. She was scared, and she knew he was scared. Why couldn't they just talk as parents? They used to be able to talk all the time. It was ridiculous. She was going to try. She really was. For Bianca. If only she would just wake up.

 **Would love to hear more of your thoughts!**


	4. The Ice Queen Has a Heart

**Thank you Godric's Girl Forever (I will keep your idea in mind for sure!) and soniad37 (bear with me a little longer) for your reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

 **Bianca**

This place of nothingness was starting to get to her. She wanted to wake up, no, needed to wake up. This was ridiculous!

"I'm so sorry Bianca," her father was saying. Her ears perked. Could they still do that? Seemed like an odd thing to do whilst unconscious. _Listen!_ her mind ordered. She obeyed.

"I should have never left the way I did. I was...am...a jackass. Your mother was right about me. I'm pathetic. A loser. I ran away and left you behind. To be honest, you remind me so much of her that I just wanted to get away from you both so I wouldn't have to face it."

Wow. Her dad was really baring his soul right now.

"I hope you can forgive me someday. I know it's hard cos I still haven't forgiven myself."

 _Damn right it's hard! You left!_ She wanted to scream this at him.

"I'm so sorry..." his voice was beginning to fade. No! Not again! She struggled to stay 'awake,' but the darkness still came.

 **Dottie**

She walked in to see her ex husband crying. Crying? She peered at him closely. Crying! She faltered at the door, wondering if she should just back right out again.

"Oh, hey, Dot," he said, roughly swiping at his eyes. "I'm just leaving."

"Stay," she said, surprising them both. "She's your daughter too."

"Okay," he said, sitting back down. They said nothing for a bit. "I'm so sorry, Dot," he said finally. "For everything. The way I behaved. The things I said. The way I just dumped our daughter on you and took off running..." he trailed off. "I was a fool."

"You were an ass," Dottie corrected, "but thank you for apologizing."

"If I could take it all back..." he started.

"Let's not go there," she cut him off. "Let's just sit here for now in this newly orchestrated peace treaty."

"All right," he agreed. It was a lot better than fighting.

 **Madison**

"I'm home!" she called out. Nobody answered. Big surprise. She was alone again. She pulled out her phone.

 **C? Can you come over?**

 **Sure. Be there asap.**

Besides Wesley, Caitlyn was the next person who knew about her personal life. Not that she had told Wesley before the other night. Thing had gotten particularly bad, and she knew he'd understand. That's why she was so confused as to why he was shutting her out right now. She thought they had an understanding. She went upstairs to her room when she heard the noise. Freezing on the spot, she panicked. What should she do? Calling the police never helped.

"Stop it!" her mother was screaming. "Let me GO!" This was followed by a sickening thud as her father had most likely thrown her mother across the room. Madison fled. She was out the door when Caitlyn showed up in her car.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," Madison chanted.

"What's wrong?"

"Just go! Now!"

They pealed away, Caitlyn still waiting for an answer. Madison avoided it for as long as she could, looking out the window as the houses flashed by. She became angry.

"Why does she put up with it?!" Madison finally said angrily. "Why does she stay? Why can't she just tell him to leave?"

"I don't know, Mads," Caitlyn said quietly. She didn't understand either.

"It's awful," Madison started to cry. Caitlyn reached over and patted her hand gently.

"I can't imagine," she replied. Madison gave big, gulping sobs while they drove on.

"It's just so...horrible! He just hits her and hits her..." Madison choked. "And she just takes it! She doesn't even stop him when he turns to me..."

"He hits you?" Caitlyn asked, stunned. This was new.

"No," Madison lied, shaking her head and gulping. "I always run away before anything happens." The bruise under her left breast was killing her. It was like the beating heart in Stephen King's book, giving away her lie. Caitlyn didn't notice, however.

"We should go to the police!" she urged.

"It doesn't do anything," Madison said. "They don't help. Trust me, I've tried." She turned away again, not wanting to deal with Caitlyn's barrage of reasons why she should tell the police her father abuses her mother. She didn't want to think about it anymore. It was time to toughen up. _Surprise, surprise_ , she thought, _the ice queen has a heart and feelings_. If she ever showed this side of her to anyone, she'd be incredibly embarrassed and lose all respect. No, this was never to get out to anyone. Wesley didn't even know how bad it all was. She had only told him her father loses his shit on her mother sometimes. She left out that it was every day almost and that when he was done with her mother, he came for her. She broke up with Wes every time he left bruises so that Wesley wouldn't see them on her. That's why they were so on again off again in their relationship. She couldn't bear to have him know the truth.

 **Wesley**

He met Jess and Casey at Dave and Buster's. They were discussing Bianca when Madison and Caitlyn entered.

"Shit," Wes said, ducking. "Did she see me?"

"No," Jess said, watching Madison warily. She seemed really upset. "I think she's got other things on her mind."

"She looks more upset than I've ever seen her," Casey mused. "Wonder what's up?"

"I don't care," Wes mumbled from under the table. "Can you just tell me if it's safe to sit up?"

"Not really," Jess said as Madison spied them.

"Red alert!" Casey hissed.

"Hi girls," Madison said, a little less forced than usual. "So I'm assuming you know about Bianca by now."

"Yes," Casey said. "Thanks for telling us, by the way."

"I didn't think it would be right coming from me," Madison said dismissively. "Can you let Wes know I'm looking for him?"

"Sure," Jess said, being careful to not gaze under the table. "Although, we don't really run his circles."

"Well, try," Madison said. She left without another word.

"She's gone," Casey said once they had both left. Wesley struggled up from the floor.

"That was too close," he said. "She thinks we have this great connection because her parents fight too."

"Your parents fight?" Jess asked curiously.

"It's nothing," he answered.

"Hmmm," Jess said, giving him a look that said she didn't believe him.

"I don't want to talk about me right now," Wes said. "Look, I messed up with B. If I had just paid more attention to what I was feeling..."

"Stop beating yourself up about it," Casey commanded. "You figured it out, so tell her when she wakes up."

"What if...?"

"She will wake up," Casey said forcefully. Nobody said another word about it. They didn't want to think the impossible either.

 **Mike**

"You want something to eat?" Mike asked Dottie. It was suppertime again. Day two of the uncertain. He already was feeling like he couldn't handle it.

"Sure," Dottie said. He left to find something that was edible. He never liked hospitals let alone their food selection. He came back to find Wes had joined them.

"Son, don't you have school and homework?" he asked. "It's honorable that you're here, but I don't think B would want you failing because of her."

"I have to be here," Wes replied. "You understand?"

"Not really, but I guess it's your choice," Mike shrugged. He handed a sub to Dottie.

"You remembered," Dottie said, her voice sounding almost faraway. She was surprised he would remember her favorite sandwich.

"Hard to forget some things," Mike replied. He felt a little sheepish. He hadn't left because he didn't love her anymore. He had left because he couldn't handle her anymore.

"Hey," Wes said. "Why don't you guys get some air? I'll keep watch." Mike looked over at Dottie, who seemed uncertain.

"Five minutes?" Mike suggested. He knew she could use the break.

"Okay," she caved. They left Wesley there.

"Nice boy," Mike commented.

"He is. I think there was something growing there with those two," Dottie added. "Whether Bianca knew it or not."

"Let's hope she doesn't mess it up," Mike said, looking at Dottie sideways. "She might regret it." Was he referring to them? Dottie wasn't sure. Everything he did or said lately seemed to surprise her. She decided to just go with it for now. Why get her hopes up?

 **Bianca**

"I love you." These words echoed around her. I love you. I love you. I love you.

"I'm sorry I've just realized it now."

 _Don't be sorry!_ she wanted to shout. He was saying it now. She felt a sense of relief for some reason. Had she been wanting him to say it first? Was he just saying it because she could be dying?

"I'm not just saying it because you're in a coma," Wes said. Had he heard her? Was she waking up? "I wish you'd come back to me." Damn. She wasn't waking up.

 _I love you too!_ she cried into the nothingness. _Please get me out of here!_ But he didn't hear her. How could he? It was all so infuriating. When the hell was this going to end?

 **Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Please bear with me a little longer with the coma thing. It does end I promise! And yes, it might be hard to see Madison in a different light, but it's been my experience that people are sometimes rotten to others for a reason. It doesn't excuse her behavior, but it gives an explanation.**


	5. Limbo

**Sorry it's a short one. Life has been hectic. Plus, I have to get back into it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Dottie**

"Okay, Wesley, you've got to go home to bed now," Dottie said finally. It was almost one a.m., and she knew his parents had to wonder where he was.

"They don't care," Wes said, reading her mind.

"I'm sure they do," Dottie argued.

"No, they don't. They only care about who gets the last word in their fight," Wes sighed.

"Sounds familiar," Mike muttered.

"Excuse me?" Dottie asked, eyes flashing.

"What I meant to say was I'm real sorry, kid, that your parents are fighting. I hope you know you're not the cause of it," Mike corrected.

"I know I'm not the cause. I never thought I was. It's just all so stupid, but what would I know, right?" Wes scoffed.

"Still, it's late, and Bianca isn't going to wake up right this instant anyway. Go get some sleep."

"If you know B, she'd wake up when I'm gone just to spite me," Wes cracked a smile.

"Well, if that's the case, then get going!" Dottie smiled back. She knew he was just as worried and upset as she and Mike were. Wesley reluctantly left.

"So what's the deal with him?" Mike asked.

"I'm not sure. He was there the night it...happened," Dottie explained. "But like I mentioned before, I think he might be in love with our daughter."

"I don't know if I like that," Mike said.

"And what right do you have to even have a say?" Dottie pointed out. "You left, remember?"

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm a horrible father," Mike muttered.

"I didn't say that, although you took the words right out of my mouth," Dottie said.

"We're slipping back into our pattern," Mike noted. Dottie crossed her arms.

"Then what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"I'm going to stop talking," Mike replied.

"Wise choice," Dottie commended. They sat in silence for a bit. Dottie watched her daughter's chest rise and fall with the ventilator. She wanted to yank it out. She wanted to upend this entire room if it meant her daughter would wake up, if not to just tell her to control herself in that sarcastic way Bianca had. Dottie missed her. She missed her laugh, her smile, her logic, and her way of being. This whole thing was just stupid. Stupid! She looked over at Mike, who was holding his chin while resting his elbow on his other arm. She had to give him credit for not leaving. She didn't want to admit that she was glad he was there. That was her little secret.

 **Wesley**

He crept into his house without a sound. He could hear his father snoring like a chainsaw in their bedroom. When he got to his room, however, his mother was sitting on his desk chair, waiting.

"Geez, Mum!" he yelped. "You freaked me out!"

"Oh, like you've been freaking me out all night? Where the hell have you been?" she demanded.

"Why do you care?" Wes asked instead.

"Because you're my son," she replied. "So, tell me."

"My friend was in an accident, and I've been sitting with her at the hospital," Wes told her.

"Oh my goodness! Is it serious?"

"She's in a coma. They said she might not wake up."

"Oh, Wes, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Didn't think you'd care," Wes shrugged.

"Of course I care! Is it Madison?" his mother wondered.

"No. It's...Bianca," Wes confessed.

"Bianca? As in Dottie's girl next door? Wesley! Why didn't you tell me?! I would have gone with you to at least be there for Dottie!"

"I didn't know you two were friends," Wes said, confused.

"We are in a way. She's an inspiration to me. We've talked about some...stuff. Anyway, I'm going with you tomorrow do you understand?"

"Okay. Fine. Can I go to bed now?" Wes huffed.

"Yes. Goodnight, Wesley," his mother said, ruffling his hair as she passed him. It was a gesture she used to do when he was little, and he discovered that he missed it. He crawled into his bed thinking about B. He'd give anything to go back in time and somehow save her from the car. He wished also that he had just said no to Madison and waited for B to get home from her date to confess how he really felt. He also cursed himself for not answering his phone. That one would never go away if she died. He'd blame himself for forever. Wes didn't fall asleep right away. He put his earphones in and turned on his ipod. Our Lady Peace began playing right away.

 _"If I don't make it known that I've loved you all along..."_ Wes closed his eyes and hummed along with the song. In no time, he was asleep.

 **Bianca**

She decided to dub this place Limbo, and she realized she wasn't alone here. She could hear other voices calling and crying out for help. It unnerved her a little. She wished she could offer comfort to the others, but she was barely able to comfort herself. She couldn't hear much going on in her hospital room at the present moment, so she assumed in was late at night and either no one was there with her or, if they were, they were sleeping. She was musing over Wes's confession of love for her. So it wasn't just her! She was thrilled with this. She couldn't wait to wake up so they could finally be together.

 **Mike**

His neck was horribly cramped when he woke up. Sleeping in chairs did that to you. Mike glanced over at Dottie, who was curled up in the more comfortable arm chair beside the bed. He figured she'd be just as cramped when she woke up too. He stood and stretched. He wandered out into the hall in search of the cafeteria for a cup of coffee, not that it was any good. It was better than nothing, though. He checked his watch: 8:23 a.m., and like clockwork, there was Wesley in the hall coming toward him.

"Did you even leave?" Mike asked. "You're here early."

"Couldn't sleep. How is she?" Wes asked.

"Same. I just couldn't sit there anymore. Plus, my back threatened to give out if I didn't move around a little," Mike joked. Wes just nodded in return. Mike felt a little disappointed. Not a comedy fan...this could be difficult.

"I appreciate you're trying to lift the mood," Wes said. "And normally I'd laugh at your joke, but I just am not in the jokey mood right now."

"Fair enough," Mike replied. Honesty. He liked that.

"I'll see you up there," Wes said. Dottie ran into them before he even moved.

"They're taking out her ventilator!" she exclaimed. "That's good news, right?"

"I think so," Mike nodded. "Means she can breathe on her own again."

"That's my girl," Wes murmured.

"I'm feeling more hopeful already," Dottie said, smiling.

"Coffee?" Mike asked.

"Sure," Dottie agreed. He poured her a cup as well. He sipped his as she prepared hers.

"You really think she'll wake up?" Wes asked. They both jumped, not realizing he was still there.

"I think so. She's tough. Like her mom," Mike added, peering at her to see her reaction.

"Damn right she is," Dottie commented. Mike hid his smile behind his cup.

"Mr. and Mrs. Piper?" the doctor asked, approaching them.

"Yes?" Mike said, cutting off Dottie's correction of the term Mrs. Piper.

"It seems your daughter is stable enough to breathe on her own. The ventilator was removed, as you know," the doctor nodded toward Dottie. "Things look good. Now we just wait for her to wake up or not."

"You mean, there's still a chance she won't wake up?" Dottie asked, crestfallen.

"The body is an incredible thing," the doctor said. "It's hard to tell, but there's still much healing to be done internally. I advise you to not give up hope but also realize the potential outcome."

"Well, that was comforting," Dottie commented as the doctor left them.

"He can't say one way or the other without fear of getting sued," Mike scoffed. "He's covering his ass."

"I still think we're one step closer," Wes said for both of them.

"Yes," Dottie agreed. "Well said, Wesley." They all headed back up to Bianca's room. Mike kept his fingers crossed. He needed Bianca to wake up so he could ask for a second chance to be her dad. He wasn't sure she'd want that at all, but he didn't want to never know for sure.

 **Madison**

Madison woke up on Caitlyn's spare bed with a start. She was disoriented at first to where she was, but then it all came back to her. The yelling. The sound of her mother hitting the wall. Madison swallowed hard. She wondered if they knew she had even left. They might not have even realized she had been there at all. She looked at her phone. Ten messages from her mother.

 **Where r u?**

 **Madison, please answer me.**

 **Sweetie, it's safe.**

 **Madison? Hello?!**

 **This isn't funny. Where r u?**

 **MADISON!**

 **Madison, stop f**king around!**

 **Get home, NOW!**

 **I will ground u!**

 **Get ur f**king ass back here right this f**king INSTANT!**

Then there was one from her Dad:

 **If you're not home before nine a.m. tomorrow, you know what's going to happen.**

Madison sighed. It was nine thirty. She was in trouble now. She rolled out of bed and threw on her clothes.

"Sleep okay?" Caitlyn asked when she came downstairs.

"Yea. I need to get home though," Madison said carefully.

"What? Why?! It's not safe there!"

"Just take me home, Caitlyn," Madison said curtly.

"I won't be a part of this," Caitlyn said, crossing her arms. "You want to go back there and sign your death wish, then you're doing it without my help." Madison growled impatiently.

"Fine. When you read my obituary tomorrow, you can know it was your fault because I got home late," she snarked.

"Mads, call the police," Caitlyn begged. "I'm serious! This can't go on."

"I'm not going over it all again with you," Madison snapped. "Either drive me or don't but stop dithering about it you're wasting my time!"

"Okay, fine. Let's go," Caitlyn said, grabbing her keys. She really was worried. She was worried Madison was going to be hurt when she got home, and she was unsure of what to do about it.

 **Bianca**

Something felt different. She couldn't put her finger on it. Had they done something to her body? Limbo felt less intense somehow, like she was getting closer to getting out. That had to be a good sign, right? She could hear mutterings and voices, but nothing was clear. She couldn't wait to get out of here. She needed to see Wes, needed to tell him she loved him too. It was such a powerful urge that she hoped it would force herself out of this place and back into her body. Having a strong urge to do something had to help surely.

 _I'm coming, Wes_ , she thought. _I'm coming._

 **Okay folks, please leave me a review. I'm kind of feeling like the interest is being lost in this story. Shall I continue?**


	6. Waking Up

"We are coming over," Jess said into her phone. Casey looked at her curiously.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Bianca might be waking up soon," Jess said. "I wanna be there when she does."

"What are we waiting for?" Casey demanded. They rushed out the door and into their car. They missed their best friend desperately, and they couldn't wait to hear her voice again.

 **Dottie**

"Is it wrong for me to have this kind of hope?" Dottie asked Mike. They were standing and looking out the window above everyone outside. Mike was standing as close to her as he dared. He didn't want to push his luck. He had gone home to feed the dog and come back. Being home while Bianca was in here didn't seem right to him.

"Hope is natural. It's human," Mike clarified. "Without hope, what do we have?"

"I just don't want to be disappointed," Dottie sighed. "What if she doesn't recognize us? What if she has amnesia? What if she never wakes up at all?"

"Dot, slow down," Mike said, reaching out and squeezing her arm with his hand. "One moment at a time, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. They watched the people below for a while before Mike piped up.

"Those kids look like they're having a fight," he said, gesturing. Dottie looked to see and had to agree with him. Arms were flailing and faces were angry looking.

"'Oh, you are such an ass!'" Mike said, imitating a girl's voice. Dottie sniggered. She had missed this game where they would pick a person or a couple and make up a story about what they were saying.

"'Well, if you had just put out,'" Dottie mimicked a boy's voice.

"'Oh! I never!'" Mike went on.

"'Prude!'"

"'Asshole!'"

"'I'm gonna go sleep with all your friends,'" Dottie voiced. The girl suddenly slapped the boy hard.

"Oh!" Mike crowed.

"She's got a good arm," Dottie laughed.

"Young love," Mike sighed.

"What are you guys doing?" Wesley asked, approaching them. He couldn't sit and watch B any longer. With every breath he was wishing she would wake up, and when it didn't happen, he got disappointed and discouraged.

"Just a game we used to play," Dottie told him.

"Hey!" Jess called, joining them with Casey on her heels. "We got here as soon as we could!"

"Yea, is she awake yet?" Casey asked.

"Not yet," Wes shook his head.

"It might not happen at all," Dottie told them, making them crestfallen. "I'm sorry, but we have to keep that in mind or else we'll suffer a great disappointment."

"We're still gonna go up and see her," Jess said. Casey nodded.

"Go ahead. Let us know if anything happens," Dottie added. They agreed they would and set off.

"I'm gonna run home for a bit," Wes said. He needed a shower desperately.

"Get some rest, son," Mike answered. Wes just nodded. He doubted he could sleep properly until Bianca was awake, and if she died, he knew he'd never sleep again.

 **Bianca**

Things were definitely changing. She could no longer hear the other voices around her, and the present felt like it was right there about to burst into reality any second. It was like fighting through a heavy blanket. She could hear Jess and Casey murmuring to each other, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She wanted to talk to them, tell them she was sorry for being a jerk and that she missed them so much. This coma b.s. had to end sometime, and when it did, she'd make sure she told her family and friends how she felt about them. If this taught her anything, it was that life was too short to not be honest.

 **Madison**

Her mother's slap was harder than her father's. It surprised her. Now, Madison knew her mother was scared of her father's reaction and that's why she went overboard with her reaction. Madison was sitting in her room, grounded, and with a nice little bruise blossoming on her cheek. Caitlyn would have a fit. It was better than her father dealing with her absence. He had taken off before she got home. Probably to go get drunk. She never knew with him. Sometimes his threats were carried out and sometimes they weren't. It was like he would forget he had made them at times.

 **Rumor is Bianca is gonna wake up** , Caitlyn texted.

 **I suppose she'll go right back to chasing after Wes** , Madison replied.

 **Maybe tell Wes what's going on. Maybe he'd be more sympathetic?**

 **No. He can't ever know.** Madison knew Wes would decide to take things into his own hands, and her father beating on him was something she never wanted to happen. She flopped onto her bed, sighing. This was going to be a rotten weekend.

 **Mike**

"Hey, who are you?" Mike asked the boy in his daughter's room. The boy jumped, startled.

"Uh, Toby, sir," Toby said.

"I've never seen you before," Mike said with narrowed eyes.

"I, uh, am a friend from school," Toby responded. It was sort of the truth. He didn't mention it was because of him Bianca was even in this predicament.

"Thanks for coming, but you need to clear off now," Mike said. He didn't think Wes would appreciate another boy whispering at Bianca's bedside.

"All right," Toby agreed. This guy scared him. He didn't want to push his luck.

"Who was that?" Dottie asked, coming in just as Toby disappeared around the corner.

"A friend? Toby? No idea," Mike shrugged. The name was vaguely familiar to Dottie, but she wasn't sure why. They settled down in chairs beside Bianca's bed. Jess and Casey had left a few hours earlier.

"She's gonna be so mad when she wakes up," Dottie noted. Mike gave her a curious look.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Cos she hates anything getting the best of her," Dottie reasoned.

"Ah," Mike nodded. He knew where Bianca got that from. They sat in silence again.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Dottie asked suddenly. Mike was taken aback. He had not seen that one coming.

"Uh, no," he answered truthfully. "You?"

"I've gotten some flirties, but otherwise not really," she replied.

"Flirties?" he asked.

"It's on a website," she offered. He only nodded slowly in response. He had never thought to do the computer dating thing. Computers and he didn't get along too well.

"Why do you ask?" he prodded.

"I was just curious," she said. He left it alone at that. She had a reason, that he had no doubt of. Whether or not he was ready to hear the reason, he wasn't sure.

 **Wesley**

He ignored another text from Madison. Honestly, would the girl just give up already? He was in love with B. He was freshly showered and ate something that resembled real food. Hospital food just didn't cut it after a while.

"Are you going back?" his mother asked.

"Yea. Don't wait up," he said. She sighed as he got ready to leave. "What?"

"I just wish you were around more often," she said wistfully.

"Why? So I can listen to you and Dad re-enact the Cold War?" he asked.

"No. I just miss you," she answered. He grunted in response. He very much doubted she actually missed him. She simply missed his presence and how it would sometimes prevent his father from getting too carried away. Shaking his head, he walked out the door and headed back to the hospital. B needed him, and he was gonna be there for her.

 **Bianca**

It all happened so quickly. The light came bursting through, and everything rushed past her like a dream. She sat up gasping for air and clutching her chest. It took her a few moments to realize where she was, and then she discovered she was alone. Or so she thought.

"B?"

 **Wesley**

"B?" he said again. Bianca stared at him blankly. "It's me, Wes."

"Who?" she rasped. The ventilator had made her throat very sore.

"Wesley Rush," he told her. He started to panic. Why didn't she recognize him?

"I...I'm sorry. I don't..." she started.

"Bianca!" Dottie cried, coming in. She knew they shouldn't have left, even for a second.

"Mom," Bianca said, accepting her mother's hug. "Where's Dad?"

"He's right here," Dottie said. Mike came forward.

"Hi, honey," he said.

"I had this strange dream that you guys got divorced," Bianca laughed. "How stupid was that?" Dottie and Mike exchanged glances with one another. She had dreamt it?

"Pretty stupid," Mike laughed. Dottie glared at him. What was he doing? He shrugged in return. Why crush her happiness right away? Surely she'd remember soon enough.

"Wes, why are you upset? She's awake!" Dottie exclaimed. Wes stared at them all in disbelief. She didn't remember him. She had no idea who he was.

"Who is he?" Bianca asked her mother. Dottie's smile slowly faded. Oh.

"He's your best friend, Wes," Mike said. "From next door."

"I...I don't remember..." Bianca trailed off.

"It's okay," Wes said. "I'll just go." He stood to leave when he just about smacked into Toby.

"Toby!" Bianca cried, excited. Wes froze in the hall. What?!

"Hey," Toby said, smiling. "You're awake!"

"I am," Bianca beamed. "You're here!"

"I am," Toby agreed. She reached for him, and he went to hug her. Wes gaped at the two of them. Did she think Toby was...? No. No way.

"You know my boyfriend right?" Bianca asked her parents, worried. "I didn't keep it a secret did I?"

"No," Dottie said. She gave Wes a pitiful look. She turned to Mike.

"I'm just as confused as you are," he muttered to her.

"Good," Bianca said, holding Toby's hand tightly. Wes clenched his fists and released them. So she thought she was with Toby Tucker. She didn't remember Wes at all. This was not at all how he pictured her waking up to go. Where was he gonna go from here?

 **Bianca**

She couldn't figure out why the guy was still standing in the doorway looking like he had his heart removed. Toby was her boyfriend. She knew that. Her parents were happily married, and she had two best friends, Jess and Casey. Her life had been great. She tried to remember what had happened to her, but everything was very fuzzy. She frowned.

"What's wrong?" her dad asked her.

"Nothing. I just can't remember why I'm here," Bianca answered.

"You were hit by a car," her mother explained. Bianca thought about it. She vaguely remembered the sound of squealing tires and the sensation of flying.

"Don't worry about it," Toby reassured her. "We'll get you home and back to normal soon enough."

"I don't think she'll be leaving right away," her father told him. On cue, the doctor arrived to check her over. Everyone was shooed out of the room.

 **Mike & Dottie**

Mike stood in the hall with Dottie and felt a very strange sensation.

"What?" Dottie asked.

"What are we gonna do?" he countered. "She thinks we're still married."

"Just pretend for now until her memory comes back," Dottie said. "It shouldn't be too hard."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mike asked.

"I don't want to confuse her anymore than she already is," Dottie explained. "Her amnesia shouldn't last forever."

"Poor Wes," Mike mused. "Where did this Toby character even come from?"

"She had gone on a date with him," Dottie said, thinking about it and finally remembering. "I guess they decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend?" It didn't make much sense to her either. She didn't want to upset Bianca right now. The time for questions and corrections was later. For now, she just wanted her daughter to be happy.

 **Thoughts?**


	7. Toby the Weasel

"She doesn't remember you?" Casey asked, incredulous. Wes had met them at Dave and Buster's after the initial shock wore off. Jess was confused.

"But, she has to remember you," Jess said.

"She doesn't," Wes sighed.

"This is crazy," Casey said.

"I don't know what else to tell you," Wes muttered.

"And Toby," Jess went on. "What a weasel! Acting like her boyfriend."

"Typical guy," Casey snorted.

"What should I do?" Wes asked her.

"I want to kick him in the you know where," Jess kept going on.

"I think give her space. You don't want to confuse her further. I'm pretty sure she has amnesia from what you've told me. She doesn't remember that her parents are divorced either?" Casey asked.

"No," Wes shook his head.

"I mean, who just says you're boyfriend and girlfriend like that?!" Jess exploded.

"Jess, calm down," Casey said, putting her hand on her friend's arm. Jess was breathing hard with anger.

"I can't!" Jess cried. "Bianca is dating a weasel!"

"No, she's not. She just thinks she is. Trust me, if she's anything like our B, she'll discover how weaselly he is in no time," Casey promised.

"I'd like to punch him out," Wes confided in Jess.

"I'll hold him," she replied.

"Stop! Beating up Toby isn't going to change Bianca's mind. It will only make her angry with us," Casey said. "Now, chill out."

"I gotta go," Wes said, looking at the door. Madison had walked in.

"I heard the cops went to her place earlier today," Casey said. Wes looked at her, surprised.

"For what?" he asked.

"Domestic disturbance," she replied. He stared at her, stunned.

"Wes?" Madison called, squinting.

"Damn it," Wes growled.

"Just deal with her. You're gonna see her at school anyway," Jess pointed out.

"Wish me luck," he said, getting up and going over to her. She looked less like her usual self and was replaced with someone who looked...broken.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "What's up?"

"Wes, I'm...I'm really freaking out right now," Madison said. That's when Wes saw it.

"Madison, what happened to your face?" he asked, looking closer. She didn't even try to hide it.

"I fell," she said quietly.

"Oh, come on," Wes scoffed. "That's the oldest line in the book. What really happened to you?"

"My parents," she replied, her voice so small it was beginning to make him feel awful inside.

"Tell me," he said. So she did. Wes stood there and listened to her tell him all the times she had endured her father's wrath and her mother's warnings. He felt extremely angry then. He had even clenched his fists.

"I wasn't going to tell you," Madison said. "I knew you'd get angry and want to do something about it. Wes, you can't."

"He shouldn't have ever done that to you," Wes said angrily. "Nor your mom!"

"He's in jail, Wes. I left home. I'm staying with Caitlyn for now," she explained.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Wes demanded.

"Because I didn't want him to hurt you," Madison answered. He stood there looking at his ex girlfriend and wondered how he even missed it. Then he got thinking to all the times she had broken up with him abruptly and for no reason. It was beginning to click together.

"I'm sorry I ignored you. This whole thing with B...and you were pissed at me," Wes finished.

"I kind of have to think about more things than our pathetic relationship," Madison snapped. She wasn't getting what she wanted. Wes wasn't trying to get back with her out of pity. This was failing.

"I know," Wes agreed. He sensed what she wanted, and he couldn't give it to her.

"I'm just going to go then," she said.

"Madison," Wes called, making her turn around. "You gotta be strong in who you are before you can be strong with someone else." She stared at him. Then she swiveled around and left. Wes waited a few moments before leaving himself. It was almost dinner time, and he had promised his mom he'd be there.

 **Dottie**

The next few days went by in a blur. Bianca was ready to be discharged, and Dottie was nowhere near ready. Mike had brought some of his things to the house to make it look like he still lived there. The dog was back too. Pepper. Dottie hadn't realized how much she had missed her.

"Are we ready for this?" Mike asked. They were in the car on their way to pick up Bianca.

"I hope so," Dottie answered quietly. It was going to be tough to pretend they were married again, but she'd do anything for Bianca right now. Upsetting her all over again just wasn't an option right now. If Bianca never regained her memory, which the doctor had to say could happen of course, then Dottie figured they could re-enact the whole divorce thing again. In some ways though, Dottie wasn't sure about that. She peeked over at Mike, who was watching the scenery go by. Things between them had been all right lately. They arrived at the hospital in no time, and they found a very eager Bianca waiting for them.

"I can't wait to go home!" Bianca cried. She hugged them tightly. "It feels like I've been in here for years."

"Hear, hear," Mike commented. They signed Bianca out and headed towards the exit. Dottie caught sight of the scar on Bianca's cheek. That unfortunately wasn't going to go away, but it almost made her daughter look tougher in a way.

"Pepper!" Bianca squealed, rushing to the car and getting greeted with sloppy kisses.

"Told you," Mike said. Dottie handed him five bucks. They had recently started up their betting game again, and Dottie was losing badly. It had been a while, though.

"Can Toby come over?" Bianca asked when they were on the road again.

"Maybe not tonight," Dottie said. "Let's get you settled and adjusted back to home life okay?"

"I guess," Bianca agreed. "When can I go back to school?"

"What do you remember about school?" Mike asked, curious.

"I'm in my senior year. I'm doing fairly well, and I have two best friends: Jess and Casey," Bianca answered.

"She remembers that but not us?" Mike muttered to Dottie.

"Shush," Dottie replied. "You remember what classes you were in?" she asked Bianca, changing the subject.

"I do," Bianca nodded. She rattled them off.

"I guess if you're feeling up to it then you can go," Dottie finally agreed. "But wait until Monday okay?"

"Try it, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, then skip a few more days," Mike suggested.

"Okay," Bianca beamed. She really did feel ready to go back to her normal life. She was tired of lying around useless. When they pulled into their driveway, she caught sight of the boy who had been by her side when she woke up. Wes she thought his name was. He looked at them almost mournfully before he went inside. Bianca missed the look shared between her mother and father.

"Come on, Pepper!" Bianca said, excited. They both bounded out of the vehicle and up the stairs to the front door. Dottie let them in. Mike followed with the bag from the hospital of Bianca's things. He turned to see Wes watching at the window, and he waved encouragingly. Then he too went inside.

 **Wes**

It was hell watching her come home and not recognize him. It was torture not being able to run over and hug her. He wanted so badly to kiss her again like he did in the forest that day. Instead, he was sitting here watching her forget him and knowing that Toby was first and foremost on her mind. Man he wanted to knock that guy on his ass.

"Wes?" his mother asked cautiously. She could see he was upset.

"Yea, Mom?" he answered.

"Are you okay?"

"No, Mom. I'm not."

 **Madison**

"He didn't even offer to get back together," Madison said to Caitlyn. "How horrible is that?!"

"Pretty shitty," Caitlyn agreed. "I mean, come on, you need the support right now."

"I do," Madison nodded. She really did. Her parents had been hysterical when the police had shown up. She wasn't really even sure who had notified them of the "disturbance." She half expected Caitlyn, but her friend hadn't been there when the screaming had started up again. Madison had hid away in her room, trying to ignore it all as usual. When the knock came on the door, nobody knew what to do. It was so out of their usual roles. Her father had been dragged away yelling and cursing. Her mother had cried. Madison had felt...nothing. She truly didn't feel anything anymore. Everything was numb. Everything felt pointless. On top of it all, she really wanted Wesley back. It hurt her that he couldn't see that.

 **Bianca**

Her mother had made her promise to wait until the next week to start school again, so Bianca was finishing up the week and starting the weekend by being with Toby. She still couldn't believe they were dating. It was like a dream come true. She only wished she could remember how it had happened.

"You look great," Toby said smiling. He had even brought his guitar. SaWOON!

"Thanks," she smiled back. She felt a little nervous around him. After all, she wasn't sure how long they had been dating or if they had gone through all the bases yet. Her phone rang just then, so she looked at it. Casey. The girl always seemed to know when she was with Toby and tried to get her to come hang out.

"Casey, I'm busy," Bianca said, laughing. "Another time."

"But, it's Friday night, and we wanna go dancing!" Casey pleaded.

"I don't need to dance. I've got a nice thing going here," Bianca replied. She hung up before Casey could protest.

"Damn it," Casey said, looking at her phone. Jess was wringing her hands.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked Casey.

"Bring in the big guns," Casey replied.

...

"So, how did we get together?" Bianca asked. She felt Toby briefly stiffen behind her. They were sitting on her porch with her in his arms. It was a lovely starry night.

"You finally got up the nerve to talk to me and then we had dinner at my place," Toby explained. "It was chemistry from there."

"So we weren't really dating too long before my accident then?" Bianca asked.

"Not very long, no," Toby answered. He felt nervous that she'd piece it together, that he had been a total ass and missed what was right in front of him because he wanted something else.

"That's okay," Bianca said. "I feel better knowing I didn't forget like years of our relationship or something." She laughed, making him laugh too. Next door, a shape emerged onto the porch. Bianca casually looked over and saw that boy again. He looked almost angry. She noticed that Toby was shaking slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning her head up to look at him.

"Nothing," he said quickly. When she turned back, the boy next door was gone.

"Do I know him?" she asked.

"That's Wes. He goes to our school," Toby told her. "Are you excited for Monday?"

"Yes!" she cried. Toby breathed a sigh in relief. It was easy to distract her for now. Wes looked as though he wanted to murder him, and that made him feel very scared. He was enjoying this moment otherwise. Bianca was a nice girl. He felt bad that it took her almost dying before he realized that.

 **Mike**

"What are you doing?" he asked, catching Dottie at the window. She dropped the blinds quickly.

"Nothing," she answered innocently.

"You're spying," he pointed out.

"Not spying. Observing," she corrected.

"And what did you observe?"

"That Wes is very mad at Toby, and our daughter is smitten with the wrong boy," she answered.

"Stay out of it," Mike warned.

"I know, I know. It just doesn't seem fair," Dottie sighed. Mike handed her the glass of wine he had gone to retrieve. She took it carefully and sipped while staring through the slats.

"It's been nice, being home," Mike said cautiously. He didn't want to scare her off, but he had a weird feeling she was experiencing similar thoughts as him.

"It's been...interesting," she smiled, turning to face him. She was indeed feeling similar to him. She just didn't know how to voice it. She felt it was like a betrayal to her book and everything she spoke to people about. There was no section in her speech that said Step 6: How to Rekindle a Marriage Despite Accepting It's Over. It looked like he was going to say something, but then he changed his mind. Mike felt like he was treading water carefully, and he wasn't ready to drown just yet. He didn't think he could handle a rejection right now. It was best to leave things as they were.

 **Wes**

Damn it Toby was pissing him off. He paced his bedroom furiously. How dare the guy sit there and taunt him like that?! It was all he could do to not run over there and knock that stupid look of his stupid face. His phone buzzed.

 **We have a plan** Casey wrote.

 **What?** he asked.

 **You'll see on Monday.**

 **...**

 **AN: Well? What did you think?**


	8. Seduction Attempts

**Thank you sooo much for reviewing! Means a lot :)**

Wes was waiting for Casey and Jess on Monday morning. He was curious as to what their plan was. As soon as he saw them, he knew. He almost started laughing. They were both dressed as provocatively as the school allowed, and Wes had to hand it to them, they looked damn hot.

"Hey," Casey said as they approached him. He was grinning.

"What?" Jess asked.

"What are you gonna do? Shove those ladies into his face and make him forget about B?" Wes asked, starting to laugh.

"Let me tell you something," Casey said, shaking her finger at him. "My ladies get the job done."

"He had the hots for us," Jess pointed out. "We figured that didn't really go away. He went to see B cos he felt bad she left his house and got hurt, then he saw an opportunity and took it. He's a-"

"Weasel," Wes finished. "I know. You've said it a hundred times already."

"Well he is," Jess huffed.

"Give it your best shot," Wes said, gesturing.

"Oh, don't worry. We will," Casey smiled.

 **Madison**

She was sitting in the principal's office. She wasn't entirely sure why she was there. Principal Buchanan had just pulled her in to "talk." She picked at her fingers and tapped her foot on the floor. Did he know what happened? She felt nervous suddenly. Soon enough Buchanan returned with a woman with a clipboard. Madison stiffened.

"Hi, Madison," the woman said, smiling. "I'm Judy. I'm with Social Services."

"Um, I don't need social services," Madison snarked.

"Madison, it has been brought to my attention about what happened this weekend," Buchanan started.

"How? Who told you?!" Madison snapped.

"I happen to be in the same neighborhood," Buchanan said quietly. Madison froze. He was looking at her carefully. Had he been the one who called the police?

"Madison," Judy started again. "We realize you're 17 going on 18, almost an adult, but we still have to do this. We already talked to your mom."

"I'm not saying anything," Madison said, crossing her arms angrily.

"You don't have to," Judy said softly. "Can you just tell me, do you feel safe at home?"

"I live with my friend now," Madison told her. "I don't plan on going home."

"Okay," Judy nodded. "That's good. Can you tell me how you got that bruise on your cheek?" Madison touched her face lightly. She had used a lot of cover up. How did this woman know it was there?

"I've seen a lot," Judy answered as though reading her mind. "You can tell me."

"I'd really rather not," Madison whispered. She saw her Dad's fist coming at her again. It made her close her eyes. Judy slid a card across the desk towards her.

"If you ever want to talk, call me," she said. "I also have written a number for a therapist on the back."

"I don't need to see a damn therapist!" Madison shouted.

"All right settle down," Buchanan said. He turned to Judy. "Thank you for coming." Judy just nodded and left. Madison sat there glaring at Buchanan. He looked uncomfortable suddenly.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she asked. He didn't meet her eyes.

"How long has it been going on?" he asked back, avoiding her question.

"Long enough," Madison said, standing up.

"Madison," he said, making her stop. "I am sorry. If I'd known sooner..."

"It's fine. What is it they always say? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Well, I'm pretty damn strong now," Madison said. She went out the door, letting it slam behind her. Buchanan sighed to himself as he stared at the place where she had been standing.

 **Bianca & Wes**

She walked the halls holding Toby's hand. It felt so wonderful to have someone with her on her first day back. Jess and Casey found them after a while.

"Wow," Bianca said, looking them up and down. "Looking for prom dates or something?"

"No. Just felt like being pretty today," Casey said, flipping her hair back. Toby stared.

"Yea. I actually made this," Jess said, gesturing to her outfit. "I wanted to try it out." Toby gulped.

"Well, I think you're accomplishing both agendas," Bianca laughed. She looked at Toby, who had enough sense to stop gawking.

"Y-yea," he stammered. Casey pursed her lips at him ever so briefly. He looked away.

"We gotta get to class," Bianca said, pulling on Toby's arm. "See you later?"

"Sure thing, doll," Jess said. Bianca gave her a strange look before walking away.

"That was so weird," Bianca said to Toby once they were out of earshot. He had a faraway look in his eyes. "Toby?"

"Huh? Yea! It was weird. Very," he agreed. Bianca just laughed again. He was so cute when he was nervous. She moved out of the way just as a fireball Madison charged past her.

"Whoa," Bianca said, watching her storm down the hall. "Bee in her bonnet?"

"I heard she moved out cos her parents were being violent with each other," Toby said. Bianca looked at him, surprised. From what she remembered of Madison, she was a bitch. To think there was a particular reason for it was strange. Toby left her at her first class, giving her a quick kiss. She slipped inside. Ah science. Her favorite. She noticed Wesley sitting alone at a table, and she paused briefly. He was the only person she struggled to fully remember, and she couldn't understand why. He looked over at her as she walked to the table opposite to him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied. She unpacked her bag. He had been there when she woke up, which was odd. They must have been good friends then. She peeked over at him, and he was still looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. You feeling better?"

"Yea. Still get headaches, but they're not as bad," she replied. She was lying. They were getting worse every day, but she was afraid to tell anyone.

"That's good," he nodded. The teacher had arrived by then, and he demanded silence. Bianca got through the class with minimal struggles. It marveled her that she hadn't forgotten how to do science. When the bell rang, Wes took his time packing up. He managed to exit right behind her. Toby wasn't there yet. She started walking to his locker.

"So," Wes said. She jumped, not realizing he was still behind her.

"Are you following me?" she asked.

"Nope," he shook his head.

"So, what?"

"So, just wondering if-"

"Wes!" Madison bellowed. "I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait?" Wes asked, seeing Bianca already slipping away.

"No. Wes, I was attacked by a social worker," Madison said tearfully.

"Attacked? What?!" Wes asked, shocked.

"She ambushed me in the principal's office. I don't know what to do. I'm staying with Caitlyn, but I think she wants me to go to a foster home," Madison cried, wringing her hands.

"Madison, I rather doubt that. You're almost 18," Wes said.

"You are SO insensitive!" Madison screeched, hitting him.

"Ow! Look, you are all over the place with your emotions. Why don't you just go and get your shit sorted out before verbally assaulting me, okay? And stop with the damn drama!"

"F***k you, Wes," Madison said, stomping off.

"What flew up her nose?" Casey asked, coming up to him.

"I don't know. I think she's trying to use this whole thing to get me to feel sorry and get back together with her," Wes said, shaking his head. "She has messed up ideas you know?"

"Tell me about it," Casey nodded.

"So how's the challenge going?" Wes asked.

"Oh he was so slack jawed it wasn't funny. I think it's working," Casey replied.

"You realize that if he cheats on B, you're hurting B, right?" Wes pointed out. She pondered this.

"I'm not going to do anything with Toby. I want her to see that he is still after us and any other girl that he deems hotter."

"B is hot," Wes argued.

"Yes, yes, yes, she is! But not to Toby's standards. He pretty much told her that, remember?" Casey demanded.

 _Toby was duffing me..._

"Yea, I remember," Wes said quietly.

"So I want him to screw up so she can realize that he's not the right guy for her," Casey finished.

"Just...be careful. All right?"

"All right," she sighed. "Now, give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

"I know you've saved it. Gimme," she ordered. He reluctantly handed it over.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see."

 **Mike**

When Mike came home from his night shift, he was surprised to see Dottie still up.

"Were you waiting up for me?" he asked, setting his keys on the table and taking off his hat.

"It does seem that way doesn't it?" she agreed.

"That was nice of you," he smiled.

"How was your day?" she asked. He was taken aback. Even when they were married, she barely asked how his day was.

"It was good. Productive."

"I saved you dinner."

"Yea?"

"Yea. I can heat it up for you," she offered, getting up to go do it. He stared after her. This new Dottie was very different from what he remembered. Pepper wagged her tail and nudged his hand with her nose. He knelt down to give her a pat.

"What do you think, Pepper?" he asked. "Should I go for it?" Pepper whined and bowed her head. He chuckled.

"She really misses you when you're gone," Dottie said, returning with a hot plate and noticing Pepper lavishing Mike with her attention.

"I know," he said, taking the plate from her. "Trying to work on that."

"I think you're in second place to Bianca now," Dottie winked.

"How is she?" Mike asked.

"Tired but happy. She had a good day at school. She was texting Toby all night. We came to the agreement that school comes first then boys."

"How did that work out?"

"Fine. She is all about school that girl. I have to hand it to her," Dottie laughed.

"You're just hoping that with less time around Toby she'll remember she's into Wes," Mike scolded.

"Noooo how could you insinuate that?" Dottie said, feigning outrage.

"I know what you're up to," Mike said, shaking his fork at her.

"If it works, she'll thank me for it later," Dottie told him. "Now eat up before it gets cold again."

"Yes, ma'am," he smirked.

 **The Next Day**

"Hi Toby," Jess breathed into his ear. He shivered.

"Hey," he smiled weakly. These girls were driving him insane.

"Wanna hang out later?" she asked.

"N-no. I can't," he tittered. Oh man.

"That's too bad," she said, playing with her hair. "I was hoping to model my new outfits for someone."

"Excuse me," he said, pushing past her. If he didn't know any better, he was beginning to think they were doing this to him on purpose. He almost made it to band practice when Casey grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

"Ahh!" Toby yelped. She put her face right up next to his.

"We know what you're doing, and it's really shitty, man," Casey said. "How about you tell her the truth or I will, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

"Oh come on. You duffed her, whatever the hell that means, and now you're making up for your guilt by lying to be with her. So. Not. Cool. Break it off before she gets hurt," Casey ordered.

"Maybe I changed my mind," Toby said. "Maybe I realized she is cool and I want to be with her?"

"I'd say you're lying," Casey sneered.

"Look, you can't do anything about it. She'd never believe you anyway," Toby argued.

"Oh yea?" Casey asked. She hit play on her recorder. Bianca's teary voice started playing. "'Wes...it's Bianca. So it turns out that Toby was duffing me the whole time...and I've been thinking about some stuff and I'd just really like to talk to you okay? Call me back.'"

"Oh shit," Toby said, staring at it.

"Yea. Oh shit is right," Casey said. "So what's it gonna be?"

"I'll tell her," Toby agreed.

"Good. I'm watching you," Casey said, releasing him. He dusted his shoulders off as she stalked off. Man, she was quite hot when she was defending people.

 **Madison**

She turned the card over in her hands. As much as she had said she didn't want to talk, she kind of did. Seeing a therapist though, that was so embarrassing. She bit her lip. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone...

"What's that?" Caitlyn asked. Madison put the card away hurriedly.

"Some guy gave me his number," Madison replied coolly. "I guess I should look forward to more pity dating."

"Don't look at it that way," Caitlyn ordered. "Think of it as you're higher on their radar map and are cool for surviving abuse."

"Oh please. That is the lamest thing I've ever heard," Madison scoffed. Besides, she wanted Wes not random guys.

"At least B has backed off Wes," Caitlyn said.

"Uh huh," Madison responded absently. She was still thinking about Judy and the therapist. Caitlyn's voice kind of became background noise.

 **Bianca**

She was making her way through the halls when someone bumped into her.

"Oh!" she cried, dropping her books.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Wes said, bending to help her. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"That's okay," she smiled.

"Where's your shadow?" he asked.

"My shadow?"

"Yea. Toby."

"He's not my shadow," she laughed.

"I can see that," he joked, looking behind her.

"Well, I have to get to class," she said, gesturing.

"Yea, all right. Have a good day," he smiled. She smiled back. When he was gone, she wondered if he really did bump into her by accident. She made a note to ask her mom about him when she got home.

 **Casey & Jess**

"You really think he's gonna tell her?" Jess asked. They were at her place after school. Casey had filled her in on what happened.

"Oh, he will. He knows I'll do it for him," Casey laughed.

"How sad that Wes kept that message this long," Jess said, furrowing her brows.

"Well, it really bothered him that he wasn't there for B," Casey responded. "He's carrying a lot of guilt for her accident."

"Did they ever catch the guy?"

"Not that I've heard. Makes me sick. Who does that?" Casey demanded. She wanted to hurt them.

"Cowards," Jess offered. They sat there shaking their heads in disgust.

"Come on, let's watch something funny to get our minds off this," Casey suggested. Jess agreed.

 **Dottie**

She waited up for Mike again. Pepper was snuggled on her feet on the couch when she heard his keys hit the lock. Pepper gave her a knowing look.

"What? You've never been smitten before?" Dottie asked. Pepper just made a whining noise in her throat.

"Hey," Mike said. "Two nights in a row? What, did you miss me?"

"A little," she said shyly. He smiled. Pepper bounded over to him as if to tattle on Dottie.

"I'm switching to days next week," he said. "I feel I should be around for Bianca right now."

"Okay," she agreed.

"How was your day?" he called as he hung his coat up. She proceeded to tell him. He had rolled his eyes when she told him how Bianca had asked about Wes. Then they ate a late supper together. Dottie was beginning to feel like they were getting to that place where she could tell him what she was thinking and feeling. She just hoped he felt the same way.

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**


	9. Choices

Bianca was at her desk studying when her head felt like is was going to explode.

"Ahh," she said, gripping it hard and squeezing her eyes shut.

 _Two people kissing. Crying. Running. Tripping. Stumbling. Tarmac. Heart pounding. Ears ringing._

 _"Beeeeeeee!"_

 _Impact. Slamming into metal. Rising up. Flying. Falling. Landing. Twisting. Rolling. Crashing. Then, nothing._

Bianca cried out louder as the pain intensified and then disappeared slowly.

"Honey?" Dottie asked, coming into her room. "Are you all right?" Bianca twisted in her chair to look at her mother.

"Yea," she nodded slowly. "Everything's fine."

"You shouted..." Dottie trailed off, unsure.

"Just frustrated with this homework," Bianca told her.

"Okay," Dottie said, knowing her daughter was not being honest. She didn't push. Bianca breathed out slowly when her mother left. What had happened to her? What had she experienced? It felt like a memory, but she couldn't be sure. She looked out her window to see Wes standing at his, looking at her concerned. Had he seen her freak out? How embarrassing. She looked away, hoping he would too. Eventually, he vanished from the window.

 **Wesley**

He knew Bianca had experienced something over there. He could see the pain and confusion written on her face. He wondered if she had a memory. He wondered if he had been in it. She had caught him watching, and he felt bad for spying. Watching her from his window was the closest he could get to her. He really wished he had paid more attention to his feelings before this whole thing happened, and maybe somewhere in there she would remember him better than she did right now.

 **Madison**

She stood outside the door for a moment before knocking. She looked around her nervously first, seeing if anyone noticed her standing there. It didn't seem that anyone cared. Once she knocked, there was no going back. It turned out she didn't have to.

"Oh!" the woman gasped, seeing Madison right there as she pulled the door open. "My goodness! You gave me a fright!"

"I'm sorry," Madison apologized.

"Madison, right?" the woman asked.

"Yes."

"Come in, come in. I was just coming out to look for you," the woman smiled. Madison followed her inside and picked a chair that was the furthest away. The woman sat down, picked up a clipboard, talked about the limits of confidentiality and other things Madison barely registered, and then crossed her legs while giving Madison a smile.

"I don't know why I'm here," Madison admitted.

"That's a normal response for most people who come to therapy," the woman nodded. Claire was her name. Madison remembered her saying that amongst her speech.

"I don't have a mental problem," Madison said haughtily.

"I don't reckon you do," Claire agreed softly. Madison stared at her. If she didn't have a mental problem, then why was she here?

"Isn't that a prerequisite? For therapy? You have to have a mental problem?" Madison asked. To her surprise, the therapist burst into laughter.

"Oh my! Goodness no! You most certainly do not need to have a mental problem to see a therapist," Claire chortled once she was done.

"Oh," Madison said, feeling uncertain now.

"Why don't you start by telling me what's on your mind?" Claire suggested. Madison pondered this. What was on her mind? She briefly thought this would be good for her real life documentary, but then she tossed that idea away quickly. This stuff was personal.

"My Dad's an alcoholic," Madison blurted out. Really? That was the first thing she came up with? It surprised her.

"I see," Claire nodded.

"He gets really drunk. Then he attacks my Mom. She doesn't even have to do or say anything. She just looks at him 'the wrong way' and she's 'asking for it,'" Madison went on. "When he's finished with her, sometimes he has some energy left for me." Her voice dropped to a whisper now. She closed her eyes, and his fist was right there like it always was.

"He hurts you," Claire confirmed.

"Yes," Madison confessed. "He hurts me. Sometimes I'm just punched. Sometimes I'm thrown down the stairs. Sometimes he just screams profanities in my face, telling me I'm ugly, a bitch, a whore. Sometimes he threatens to kill me..." She stopped here. This was getting too hard.

"It's okay, Madison," Claire said softly. Madison met her eyes. They were very warm and welcoming.

"I provoked him," she whispered.

"No, you didn't. You were in no way responsible for your father's actions," Claire told her. Madison let this sink in. It wasn't her fault. She didn't make him hit her. She didn't do anything to deserve his wrath. She was innocent in this. Why did she think she was? Oh, right. He made her believe she asked for it because he told her she did.

"Why would he hurt me?" Madison asked. "Why? Wasn't beating on Mom enough?"

"Unfortunately, I can't read your father's mind," Claire sighed. "Alcoholics can feel things from guilt to sadness to rage, sometimes at themselves for being trapped in an addiction and sometimes at others because they feel they're not helping them when in fact they probably are. It's hard to understand really. Alcohol affects the way someone thinks, so your father maybe isn't thinking about the consequences of his actions once he's been drinking. Sometimes people who have built up anger within themselves and drink their anger comes out because they no longer have control of it. Is your father generally irritable when he's sober?"

"Most of the time, yea," Madison agreed.

"He could be struggling with his own demons. It's hard to say. Anyway, I'm not here to focus on your father and what his issues are. From what I understand he's now in prison. So, I am here to focus on you, Madison."

"Okay," Madison nodded. She liked Claire. This surprised her. She had expected to leave here chalking this woman up to be another mistake she had made. They talked for the rest of the hour about school and her friends. Madison avoided talking about Wes. She briefly mentioned the accident and how now Bianca was like a clean slate, and Madison didn't know what to do around her. Once the hour was up, Claire asked her to set some goals for herself. Madison nodded and immediately set one in her mind: Apologize to Wes. She knew she had been acting irrational and crazy trying to get him back. It was clear he didn't want to be with her, and she had made things worse by trying to force him into it with her drama. Even though his words had cut her like a knife, he was right. She was embellishing the drama. It was time to stop.

"I'll see you next week," Claire smiled.

"Thank you," Madison said, getting up. She meant it too. This woman had listened to her for a whole hour and didn't make her feel belittled or judged or crazy. It had been nice. Really nice. She left feeling lighter for the first time in a long time.

 **Jess & Casey**

They caught up to Toby before Bianca got there. They squeezed him in on each side of them.

"You told her yet?" Casey asked, snapping her gum.

"I'm telling her today," Toby said. "Lay off."

"We will when it actually happens," Jess told him. She crossed her arms tightly in front of her.

"I wish you guys would let me prove that I'm not that stupid guy who pulled that shit," Toby said.

"We can't because Bianca is not meant to be with you, and you know it," Casey scoffed.

"Who's she supposed to be with then? Wes? The man whore?" Toby snorted.

"He's more than that," Jess clarified.

"Then how come not give me that chance?" Toby confronted.

"Because Wes would never lie about dating someone when they wake up from a coma," Casey said quietly. Toby hung his head. They had him there.

"I'm telling her, I promise," he said.

"Good," Jess nodded. They stopped walking and watched him carry on with his usual lope and his head down low.

 **Mike & Dottie**

He came back from walking Pepper when Dottie approached him at the door.

"Hey," he smiled. "You gotta stop the greeting at the door thing. I'll start expecting it."

"Maybe I want you to," Dottie said. She was going for it. She was baring her feelings.

"Yea?" Mike asked, his grin widening.

"I have been thinking lately..."

"Me too," he said eagerly.

"About us?" Dottie asked, surprised.

"Yes. Dot, I have felt a lot happier in the past couple of weeks I've been here. Happier than I was living alone. I firmly believe it's because of you," he finished. Dottie stood there playing with the hem of her shirt.

"I've been happier too," she said quietly.

"I guess the question is, where do we go from here?" Mike asked. "Do you want to try again?"

"I...I don't know. Yes?" Dottie laughed nervously. "I feel like a hypocrite after writing that book..."

"Don't. The stages still count. They happened. It doesn't mean you can't try dating the person who made you go through them years later," Mike said. "Or maybe it does. I don't know. I'm treading new water here." He chuckled anxiously.

"You read my book?" she asked, surprised.

"Well...yea," he answered shyly.

"Wow."

"I know."

"You seem like a different person," Dottie noted.

"So do you. It's great. Maybe we needed the time and space to figure out that we were supposed to be together after all," Mike commented.

"Maybe," Dottie agreed.

"Sooo now what?" he asked.

"Take me on a date," Dottie smiled. "Tonight."

"All right," Mike nodded. "I will do that." Dottie gave him another bright smile and grabbed her purse.

"I'm late for work," she said when she saw him watching.

"Okay. I'll be here," he responded. She waved and was gone. Pepper sat on the floor and looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Wow," Mike breathed. "That really just happened right?" Pepper barked in confirmation. "I gotta get ready for this date." He grabbed his keys and rushed out the door. He needed a suit.

 **Bianca**

"You look tired," Wes said as he sat down across the aisle from her in class. She looked up at him briefly.

"Nightmares," she answered simply. It was true. She had very vivid dreams that terrified her all night. She couldn't make sense of any of them in the morning, though.

"I'm sorry," Wes empathized.

"It's okay," Bianca laughed nervously. She looked at her phone. Toby hadn't texted her yet, nor had he greeted her at school. It was like he was avoiding her. She frowned to herself. Then class started, and she had to put her focus onto the teacher.

 **Wesley**

He noticed Toby had been avoiding Bianca all day, and he could see it was crushing her. What was the idiot doing? He went in search of him, and he found him in the music room lost in his guitar playing. Wes watched for a moment, catching Toby's attention.

"What?" Toby asked, feeling scared suddenly. He looked around, and no one was left as witnesses.

"You know what," Wes replied.

"I know, I know. You and Jess and Casey made that very clear," Toby said. "I have to break a girl's heart today, and I'm trying to get my nerve up to do it, okay?"

"You should have never pretended," Wes said. "Then you wouldn't have to be hurting her."

"Like you wouldn't have taken the opportunity," Toby snapped. "Admit it!"

"I'm not a liar," Wes growled. Toby walked closer to him.

"You are no better than me," Toby hissed, jabbing his chest with his finger. Something inside Wes snapped then, and he had Toby in a headlock before he knew what he was doing.

"Aahh!" Toby was shouting. He banged his fists into Wes' knees, making Wes grunt in pain. Toby managed to release himself from the headlock and took a swing at Wes' head. Wes ducked, but barely just. The blow clipped his ear, making it ring. Wes grabbed Toby by the shirt collar and rammed him into a wall hard before releasing him. Toby gasped for air.

"You feel like a man now?" he wheezed. "Now that you've beaten me up?"

"Shut up," Wes snapped.

"She'll never look at you. She believes she's a DUFF, like you told her she was. She's never gonna get another boyfriend once I'm gone," Toby said while laughing. Wes lost control of his fist. It rammed into Toby's cheekbone, and Toby hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"MISTER Rush!" a voice called. Wes turned to see the music teacher storming towards him, furious.

"He started it," Wes said as Toby struggled to get up.

"I don't care! Violence is NOT accepted in this school! Go to the principal's office. NOW!" the teacher shouted. Wes bowed his head and made his way to the office. Toby followed behind him, sulking.

"Thanks a lot," he muttered. "I was supposed to break up with Bianca before Casey ruined my life."

"Well, you should have thought about that before you egged me on then punched me," Wes scoffed. He sat down on their chair while the admin woman let Buchanan know they were there. By the time it was Wes' turn, he was exhausted. Toby looked just as tired too. Buchanan had a very stern expression on his face when Wes sat down.

"You wanna tell me what happened, Mr. Rush?"

"He said some mean things about a friend of mine, and I lost my temper. In my defense, he did hit me first," Wes explained.

"I don't care. You shouldn't have hit back. I'm afraid I have to suspend you for the rest of the week."

"Okay, fine," Wes sighed. "Can I go now?" Buchanan surveyed him quietly for a moment.

"I know this whole thing has been difficult for you," he said quietly. "I understand your anger. I would be devastated if the woman I loved forgot me."

"How did you...?"

"Toby told me," Buchanan cut him off. "And I heard about it from others too. Mr. Rush, my advice to you is to work you way into her circle of friends carefully and go from there. These things take time. I know, too, for a fact that beating on said woman's boyfriend is not going to score you any brownie points."

"I'll take that under advisement," Wes nodded.

"Go home. Sleep it off. Spend the next few days evaluating your choices. Also, I want you and Mr. Tucker to apologize to each other before you come back."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Wes stood up, assuming he was dismissed. Buchanan stood in his way for a moment before reaching out and patting Wes' shoulder.

"Take care," he said. Wes left without a word. He went to his locker and grabbed his bag and homework. He had three whole days ahead of him to figure out his "choices."

"Wes?"

"Not now, Madison," Wes groaned.

"No, listen. It's important," Madison said, grabbing his arm. He stopped and looked at her.

"What?"

"I want to say I'm sorry. I've been acting out of control lately, and that's because I don't have control of much right now. I'm sorry I yelled at you, harassed you, and chased you around this school trying to get us back together. I'm stopping. Right now," she finished.

"I...wow okay," Wes said. "Thank you, Madison."

"Take care, Wesley," Madison said softly as she turned and left. Wes stared after her. What had happened to the ice queen?

 **Bianca**

She was heading for her car when it struck her again. The pain felled her like a tree, and she was on the pavement beside her car, hands reaching for the handle to pull herself back up. She groaned from the pain.

 _B! Come on! Let me explain!_

 _No!_

 _BEEEEEE!_

 _Impact. Smashing. Pain. Flying. Falling. Rolling..._

"B!" a voice called. In an instant, someone had her in their arms, cradling her. She could barely see for the pain. She did know she was crying.

"It's all right," the voice kept saying as they rocked her. "It's all right."

"It hurts so much," she sobbed. Her vision was slowly coming back.

"We should get you to a hospital then," the guy said. It was a guy, she could see that now. His face was coming in clearer.

"Wes?" she asked, finally seeing him.

"Yea. B, you need to see a doctor," he urged.

"N-no, no. I'm fine. Just a headache," she tried.

"A headache? B! You fell down from the pain! That's not a normal headache," Wes told her.

"It's fine. I want to go home," she said.

"I'm driving," he said. She didn't argue. She didn't actually feel well enough to drive anyway. The trip was silent. Bianca did notice his knuckles were cracked, as though he had punched something. Or someone. She shuddered at this thought.

"Here we are," Wes said, pulling into her driveway. He stopped the car and handed her the keys. "You okay to go in?"

"Yea," she nodded. She grabbed her bag and got out. Wes got out as well. He looked over the roof of her car at her.

"You should tell your mom," he called, making her turn around. "About the headaches."

"Bye, Wes," Bianca said, turning to go inside. She didn't want her mom to know. It would mean the hospital again, and that's where she had been unconscious. What if they probed into her head and she went back into a coma? She couldn't do it, wouldn't do it. Once in her lifetime was enough. She'd put up with the pain.

* * *

 **Okay my lovely readers, please let me know what you thought so I know there's still interest in this story! Godric's Girl Forever, I know it took me long enough, but there's your fight scene ;)**


	10. Headaches

Wes was worried, really worried. It had been almost unbearable to see Bianca in such pain and from something he couldn't see or fix. He walked over to her front porch and back six times before Mike finally opened the door.

"What's up, son?" he asked. His eyes were crinkled in a smile. Wes hated when adults figured out what was going on.

"Just out for a stroll," Wes answered nonchalantly.

"I see that. Quite the beaten path you've made there," Mike said, gesturing. "Something going on?"

"Has Bianca mentioned headaches to you?" Wes asked. He winced. He hadn't meant to rat her out entirely right away, but he was very concerned.

"No, why?"

"She had one today, and it was pretty bad. Mr. Piper, she fell to the ground from the pain..."

"She what?!" Mike exclaimed. He came out and shut the door behind him. "When?"

"After school. I found her on the ground beside her car clutching her head and crying. That doesn't seem like a normal headache to me," Wes finished.

"You're right. Hmm, I'll have to talk to Dot about this," Mike mused.

"Bianca didn't want you to know ," Wes said quickly.

"And I won't betray your confidence," Mike promised, cutting him off. "I'll pay closer attention. Thanks, Wes." He clapped Wes on the shoulder and went back inside. Wes stood on the doorstep, staring at the door. He wanted to see Bianca, talk to her, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

 **Bianca**

She had hidden herself in her room after leaving Wes in the driveway. She didn't want her parents to notice she was still in pain. What was bothering her the most, however, was the images she was seeing flash by in her mind. What had happened to her? She knew she had been hit by a car, but what was going on before that? Why was she running? Who had she seen kissing? And why did it upset her so much?

"Bee?" She jumped, startled. She turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

"Yea?"

"Everything all right?"

"Uh huh."

"You sure? You seem bothered by something," Mike pointed out, coming in and sitting on the edge of her bed. He looked at her carefully. There was also a look of pain on her face, but he didn't mention it. Why scare her off right away?

"I'm just...I'm trying to remember what happened before the accident," Bianca confessed. "I can't seem to put it together. I get these flashes of images, but that's all."

"Hmm," Mike said, letting her know he was listening.

"I feel like I was upset by something, but when I try to reach further, it slips away," she sighed, falling back onto her pillows.

"I'm sure it will come back eventually," Mike reassured her. "The doctors say amnesia typically goes away for most patients."

"What if mine doesn't?" Bianca asked, afraid.

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there," he answered, patting her knee. He heard the door open and close downstairs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get ready for."

"Ew," Bianca said, wrinkling her nose. She was really teasing though. She liked that her parents still made time for each other. She tried to shut out the flickering memories long enough to have a nap.

 **Later-Mike & Dottie**

"This is really nice," Dottie said. Mike smiled. They were in a restaurant with perfect mood lighting and candles at their table. Even when they were married, they didn't go to places like this.

"I thought you'd appreciate it," he responded. "I wanted to go all out since this is our second first date." Dottie laughed.

"Well, you've impressed me," she smiled. She reached over and took his hand in hers, squeezing it. Mike was feeling overwhelmed with emotions right now. Who knew that he'd get a second chance with Dottie? Then he remembered poor Wes and his concerns. He figured he should at least bring it up to her before he forgot.

"Not to break the mood," he said, "but I want to talk about Bianca."

"You notice it too?" she asked.

"Notice what?"

"That she's hiding something? I went into her room yesterday morning after hearing her shout out, and she said she was frustrated with her homework," Dottie explained.

"Wesley told me this afternoon that she had a headache so bad she was crying and fell to the ground," Mike told her. Dottie put a hand to her mouth.

"Why wouldn't she tell us?" she asked.

"She might be scared of going back to the hospital," Mike shrugged.

"But she can't stay in pain like this," Dottie argued.

"Hey, I'm on your side," Mike reassured her. "How are we going to bring this up to her? Wes didn't want me to let on he said anything."

"I guess we'll just have to catch her in the midst of an episode," Dottie mused.

"This is nice," Mike grinned.

"What?"

"Parenting with you again."

"Yes, it is," she agreed. They changed the subject after a few more minutes. They wanted the date to be more than just talking about Bianca.

 **Toby & Bianca**

He was still hurting from Wesley's punch. He was at Dave and Buster's trying to forget all about it when the person he was trying to forget walked in.

"Where were you today?" Bianca asked accusingly.

"I...I..." Toby faltered.

"Do you not want to be my boyfriend anymore? Is that it?" she demanded. "Just tell me!"

Here it was. His out. It was nicely laid out in front of him. All he had to do was take it.

"You got me," he said, holding up his hands.

"What?" she asked, feeling scared suddenly. She hadn't really meant it. What was he saying?

"Bianca, I can't be your boyfriend," Toby went on.

"Why not?"

"Because...because we were never dating," he answered, wincing. She stared at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Before your accident. We weren't dating. I mean, I knew you really liked me, but I wasn't interested in you. I was interested in your two friends. You yelled at me at my house when you thought we were on a date and I wanted to be just friends," he said.

"But..."

"I heard about the accident, and I felt so guilty for doing that to you that I had to see you and apologize. When you saw me, though, you thought we were dating, and I thought it was my chance to prove that I really am a nice guy," Toby finished.

"So you lied to me," Bianca stated. She felt empty. She felt used. Who does such a thing?!

"I did," he agreed. "But I was hoping it would work out because now I'm being honest. I do care about you, Bee, and I'm sorry I didn't see it before that you are one of a kind..."

"Oh stuff it," she cut him off angrily. "I don't date liars!"

"Bee..."

"Stop! I don't want to hear it! You lied to me, used me to make yourself feel better! I can't believe I thought you were better than that," she said, turning to run away.

"Bee!"

She didn't stop running. She didn't want to hear anymore. Once outside, however, she stopped. It was like deja vu. She turned around, looking back at the entrance of Dave and Buster's. Was it Toby who had been calling her name? No. He had said he'd heard about the accident. That meant he couldn't have been there shouting her name. Ugh! She wanted this mystery solved!

"Hey," Jess said, coming up beside her with Casey. "Are you all right?"

"No. Toby just told me we never dated, that he said we did to make himself feel better for treating me like dirt," Bianca told them. The girls immediately enveloped her into a hug.

"We're sorry," Casey said.

"Yea. Wanna get some ice cream?" Jess asked.

"Drowning my sorrows in fattening dessert," Bianca snorted. "Yea, that sounds like me." They linked arms and walked towards the ice cream parlor.

 **Madison**

"What are you doing?" Caitlyn asked. Madison slammed her journal shut quickly. She had been on her stomach on the couch, writing in the living room.

"Nothing," she replied. Claire had suggested keeping a journal to help with her feelings and thoughts, and she didn't want Caitlyn to know she had been to see a therapist.

"Oohh ideas for your reality show, right?" Caitlyn went on.

"Um, sure," Madison agreed. She felt bad for lying. Friends were supposed to be there through thick and thin, but Madison didn't want Caitlyn to think she was getting soft.

"Have you heard from your mom?"

"No." It was true. Madison's mother had dropped off the radar, and Madison didn't really care.

"You getting excited for Prom? I just know you're gonna be Prom Queen!" Caitlyn squealed, clapping her hands.

"Uh huh."

"I'm sensing you want to be alone right now," Caitlyn said, catching on.

"If that's okay? I just need to clear my head."

"That's fine. I'm upstairs if you need me, okay?"

"Thanks," Madison smiled at her. Caitlyn and her parents had been wonderful letting her stay here after everything that happened. Madison didn't want to piss them off in case they changed their minds. Thanks to her own mother for taking off, Madison now had to figure out where she was going to live. She didn't know if they'd let her stay alone at her old house. She didn't know if she wanted to stay at that house ever again. She made a note to talk to Claire about how to start looking for an apartment and all that entailed.

 **Wesley**

He was sitting on the front porch listening to the evening sounds when Bianca pulled in. Her house was in darkness, so he knew her parents were still out. Bianca shut her car off and sat inside it for a while. Wesley was growing worried after about five minutes, and just as he made a move to get up and go over, she opened her car door. He waited, muscles taut. He heard sniffling. That was never a good sign. He looked and saw her wiping at her eyes as she headed over to her front porch.

"Bee?" he called out. She froze, turning to face him. The moon and the street lamp illuminated her tear stained face. He slid off the railing and walked down the steps and across the lawn towards her, stopping a couple feet away. She could either tell him to get lost, or she could confide in him. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do yet.

"Wanna walk?" he asked.

"Okay," she agreed. She stepped off the step, and they started walking on the sidewalk side by side. Wes waited a few moments before speaking.

"You wanna talk about it?" He looked over at her.

"Toby lied," she answered after a minute. Wes felt his heart leap. Toby had confessed?

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to contain his excitement. If she was single again, then he might have another shot at this.

"Not as sorry as I am. I can't believe I would think I was with such a...a..."

"Weasel?" Wes chimed in, quoting Jess.

"Yes! A weasel! How could he do that to me?" she demanded, getting teary again. "Am I that much of a loser?"

"Bee, no, stop," Wes said, halting and grabbing her shoulders. "You are not a loser, not by a long shot. Toby was an asshole." He held on as long as he dared, but she pulled away faster than he anticipated.

"He said he felt guilty for making me take off and get hurt, that he wanted to make up for it by dating me now," she said as they continued walking.

"Still not the right way to go about it," Wes commented.

"No! I feel so stupid," she said, choking up again.

"You're not stupid for trusting people, B," he said. She looked over at him. He was being so nice to her. Why couldn't she remember him properly?

"Were we friends?" she asked suddenly. She had to know. Wes paused a moment before answering.

"We grew up knowing each other, but you kind of hated me for a while I think," he answered truthfully.

"Why?"

"I wish I could answer that," he shrugged. "I didn't really know myself either."

"Are you a jock?"

"Yea."

"That might have had something to do with it," she laughed. Wes grinned back. He loved her laugh.

"I can't help I'm good at sports," he said.

"Yea, yea," she said, waving her hand. Wes wanted to walk and talk forever, but he knew it was getting late.

"Guess we should turn around," he said. Bianca felt disappointed, and this interested her. Perhaps she had liked Wes? Nothing was coming to mind, though. When they caught sight of her house, she noticed her parents had just arrived.

"Look at that," Wes said, seeing them holding hands. He knew Bianca didn't remember their divorce, but he felt good all the same seeing them getting back together.

"Yea," Bianca sighed. She wished she could have the loving relationship her parents had with each other. They both watched as they started to make out.

"Whoa," Wes said.

"Ew," Bianca said at the same time. They stopped walking, watching as the making out got more fierce.

"Um, maybe we should keep walking," Wes suggested.

"Walk? I say run," Bianca said. They both turned and ran the opposite direction, laughing.

 _Good for Mr. P_ , Wes thought. He noticed Bianca had grabbed his hand while they were running. It felt really nice. He wondered if somewhere in her mind, she was remembering him. He truly hoped so.

* * *

 **Thanks to those who take the time to leave me a review! It encourages me to keep writing this story. On a different note, how do you think Bianca is gonna feel when she finds out Wes called her a DUFF? You'll have to keep reading! ;)**


	11. Hurt

Bianca looked for Wes at school the next day, but he wasn't there. Neither was Toby. This puzzled her until Jess and Casey caught up with her.

"Didn't you hear?" Jess asked when Bianca asked her where the two boys were.

"Obviously not if I'm asking you where they are," Bianca snorted.

"Toby got into it with Wes, and they got suspended until Monday," Casey told her. Bianca felt herself go cold suddenly.

"What?" she asked, not hearing properly.

"Yea. We don't know what the fight was about, but it was bad enough," Jess went on. Bianca wondered why Wes didn't tell her about it. She recalled his hand and how it looked like he'd hit something, but she didn't expect Toby to have been the recipient. What was going on?

"I gotta go," she said abruptly, leaving her two friends in the dust. She went to a private corner and pulled out her phone.

 **Why did you punch Toby?** she texted to Wes. His response came back pretty quickly. No wonder, since he was suspended and probably bored.

 **He called me a liar. I'm not proud of it** , Wes responded.

 **Why would he call you a liar?** she asked.

 **Can we talk about this in person? After you get home?**

 **All right.**

Bianca felt unsure of this future conversation. What would Wes have been lying about?

 **Wes**

He stared at his phone. He knew he had to tell her about the whole DUFF thing. If he was going to try to date her, he needed to be honest with her. He just hoped she wouldn't freak out too much. It had almost become a joke between them in the end. He wanted her to remember that. His parents were not thrilled that he had been suspended, but they were currently both at work, so he didn't have to worry about their questions right now, not that they'd care. He could sense their impending divorce, and it made him feel relieved. There was only so much yelling a person could take after a while.

 **Jess & Casey**

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Casey asked Jess, watching Bianca walk through the halls with a sad look on her face.

"I know we did," Jess argued. "It would be so much worse if she found out he was lying after they got, like, married or something."

"I know you're right, but I feel awful," Casey sighed.

"It'll pass," Jess promised. "We're her best friends. We can't let creeps keep her in the dark."

"That's true," Casey agreed. They smiled at each other. Who else but good friends would have each other's backs?

 **Dottie**

Their date had gone very well. Dottie couldn't believe how well it went. They hadn't even registered that Bianca wasn't home until they heard her creep in a while after. They had giggled together in embarrassment. Now it was the next day, and Dottie was humming to herself happily while Mike was at work. Pepper was lying by her feet, snoring. Dottie was working on a presentation she would be delivering in a couple of days, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the night before. She had heard of stories where exes got back together, but she never thought it would happen to her. Bianca would be so happy! Then Dottie remembered. Bianca still thought they were married to begin with. Well, when the girl finally got her memories back, she'd be thrilled. At least, Dottie hoped so. Her phone rang then, and she answered promptly, hoping it was Mike. It wasn't.

 **Madison**

She had been walking down the halls when she saw Bianca grab her head and fall to the floor. She stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. She looked around, seeing that there was no one else there, so she surged forward.

"Bianca?" she asked, kneeling down beside her. Bianca's eyes were squeezed shut, and she was crying. "Hey, talk to me."

"It hurts," Bianca whispered.

"Where?"

"My head."

"I'm getting help," Madison said, standing up. Then the crowds came.

"What's up with the DUFF?" a guy said, snickering.

"Yea, DUFFY, what's wrong?" another commented. Bianca opened her eyes. DUFF? What were they talking about? Madison didn't wait around. She ran to get Principal Buchanan.

"Can't believe Wesley got the credit for coming up with that for her," the first guy said to the other.

"I know right? I knew about DUFFs long before he did," the second snickered. Bianca wasn't sure what she was hearing. Wes had called her a DUFF? What did that even stand for?

"Excuse me," Buchanan said, pushing through the crowd. "What is wrong with you? Just standing there like idiots. Geez." He bent down to Bianca's level. "What's wrong, Bianca?"

"My head," she croaked.

"All right. I'm taking you to the hospital," he told her. "Madison, please tell the secretary to call her parents." Madison ran off to do his bidding. He helped Bianca to her feet.

"Don't want to," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, dear, but you have to," he answered. "Come along." He turned to the students. "Back to class!" He started muttering to himself about ignorance when Bianca cried out in pain again as another wave passed through. Buchanan hurried up the pace.

 **Dottie & Mike**

"Hurry!" Dottie cried on the phone. She grabbed her keys and purse before rushing out the door. Mike was on his way from work. She couldn't believe this was happening again. She squealed out of her driveway and peeled off, leaving black marks on the pavement. Once she reached the hospital, she frantically tried to find Bianca. Eventually, a nurse brought her to the right room.

"Are you all right?!" she gasped, clutching Bianca's hand.

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine," she answered. Mike crashed into the room seconds later.

"What's going on?" he asked, out of breath.

"Post concussion headaches," the doctor said, coming into the room.

"Those sound bad," Mike commented. He attempted to look as though he wasn't so out of shape.

"They can be. In your daughter's case, they are," the doctor went on. "Unfortunately, they can be long-term, but sometimes they go away eventually. I'm prescribing her a pain medication for them."

"What if they never go away?" Dottie asked, panicked.

"Well, then I'm afraid she will have to learn to live with it," the doctor said sadly.

"It's okay, Mom," Bianca said when her mother started to hyperventilate.

"No, it's not," Dottie said angrily. Mike took her hand in his, trying to convey calmness.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Piper, but these are the consequences of such a head injury as your daughter's," the doctor apologized.

"I'm going to hurt the person who did this to you," Dottie growled.

"Can she come home?" Mike asked.

"Yes. There is no danger, just pain. Take these when you feel one coming on, and it should help," the doctor said, shaking the pill bottle and handing it to Bianca. She took them gingerly. The doctor then left.

"This is ridiculous," Dottie snapped. "They can cure a lot of things, why not a headache?!"

"I'm not a doctor, so I can't answer that," Mike said. Bianca got up off the bed and pulled on her jacket. She had changed just before her parents got there.

"Hi," Principal Buchanan said, coming into the room holding a coffee. "I see you're all set?"

"Yes, thank you so much for helping me," Bianca said.

"I think Bianca should skip school tomorrow," Buchanan said to Mike and Dottie. "To get some rest."

"I agree," Dottie said quickly.

"Thanks for taking care of her," Mike said, shaking Buchanan's hand.

"My pleasure. I'll see you Monday, okay Bianca?"

"Yes," she agreed. Buchanan left then, and she was alone with her parents again.

"Why didn't you tell us your headaches were this bad?" Dottie asked her as they headed down the hallway.

"I didn't want to worry you," she answered.

"This was worse," Dottie pointed out.

"It's all right," Mike cut in. "Things are sorted out now."

"Not really!"

"Mom, please," Bianca begged. Her mother slipped into a stony silence, and Mike and Bianca knew better than to try to talk about anything else at this moment. Bianca felt bad for scaring her parents like this. She did revel in the fact she got a three day weekend, but then she remembered she had to talk to Wes. She made a note to ask him about the whole DUFF thing. Perhaps he could make things more clear.

 **Wes**

"Wes! Girl here," his father said gruffly. Wes pushed past him and joined Bianca on his porch. The door closed behind him.

"He's friendly," she commented.

"He'll be even more friendly when Mom gives him the divorce papers," Wes replied. He knew it was coming. He had seen his mother come home that day crying, and he saw the papers sticking out of her purse. He knew it was going to be a rough weekend.

"I want to ask you something," Bianca said as they started walking. Wes felt nervous suddenly.

"Ask away."

"What is a DUFF? Why were people calling me that at school today?" she asked. Wes groaned inwardly. Stupid jerks.

"It means Designated Ugly Fat Friend," he answered. Bianca stared at him in horror.

"What?! That's what people are calling me?!"

"It seemed to catch on, yes," Wes winced.

"One guy said you came up with that name for me," Bianca said, getting angry. "Is that true?"

"Yes," he answered. She inhaled sharply. "But that's why I wanted to talk to you in person! I was going to tell you about this. I'm sorry someone else did before I could."

"I can't believe you!" she cried. "Acting like Toby was so horrible when you are just as bad!"

"I admit it wasn't one of my prouder moments," Wes said. "But we got past that and made it a joke between us. I'm serious!"

"It doesn't feel like a joke, Wes. It hurts very much," she responded. She stopped walking, and Wes turned to face her.

"You took it too seriously," he started. "You wanted me to help you change from being a DUFF to a hot girl, and we had fun doing it. I can prove it." He began pulling out his phone to show her the video when Bianca stopped him.

"I don't want to see it. I don't want to know. I now understand why we weren't friends and why I hated you," she snapped. She whirled around to go home.

"B!" he called after her. "Stop!" He chased after her. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm, making her spin around.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"No! Let me explain. This whole stupid thing I said made us become friends, and B, I realized that I'm..."

"Don't say it!" she cried. "I don't want to hear it!"

"B..."

"You were never my friend. You never cared about me. You made me look like a fool to everyone..." she trailed off, crying.

"B, I'm sorry," Wes tried to say.

"It's too late now," she whispered, pulling away. She hurried to her house.

"BEEE!" he shouted after her. She was on her steps when it hit her.

 _BEEEEEEEEE! Running. Crying. Impact. Flying. Falling._

She stopped abruptly and swung to face him. He was looking up at her pleadingly.

"It was you," she said simply. "You were chasing me before I got hit."

"Yes," he answered.

"You were kissing someone," she remembered.

"Madison," he said quietly.

"That means, in order for me to have been upset by that..." she stopped suddenly, horrified. She had had feelings for Wes. Oh God.

"B?" he prompted.

She didn't answer. Instead, she went inside and slammed the door. She ran to her room and threw herself onto her bed, sobbing.

 **Wes & Toby**

Wes found Toby at Dave and Buster's. It seemed to be the only cool hangout for teenagers in this town. Wes wished there was somewhere else he could go, but what could you do?

"Hey," he said, coming up next to Toby.

"Hi," Toby responded.

"So, I guess I should apologize," Wes began.

"I'm sorry too," Toby said quickly. "This whole thing just got out of control."

"It sure did. Look, I know why you choked and went with her belief," Wes said. "I wouldn't have wanted to hurt her either."

"But you did," Toby pointed out. "The whole DUFF thing..."

"I know. I just hurt her again with it," Wes sighed.

"Aren't we a pair then?" Toby laughed.

"Yea. Truce?"

"Truce," Toby agreed.

"Excellent," Buchanan said, making them both jump. "Glad to see you two getting along."

"What are you doing here?" Wes asked once he recovered.

"I enjoy a good slice of pizza sometimes," Buchanan answered. "But, getting back to the point, I'll see you two at school on Monday. Just in time too. Prom is coming up!"

"Great," Wes muttered.

"What are you gonna do?" Toby asked, referring to Bianca.

"I don't know. Hope that she forgives me?" he answered. He desperately hoped she would. If they survived it the first time, surely they could again? Right?

* * *

 **Two more chapters left folks!**


	12. Strength & Courage

"Sweetheart?" Dottie asked, knocking on Bianca's door and entering. "Everything okay?"

"No," Bianca moaned. "I remembered who Wes is."

"Oh. Isn't that a good thing?" Dottie asked, confused. She sat down beside her daughter.

"It's not. He called me a DUFF, mom, and everyone at school now calls me that," she cried.

"A DUFF?"

"Designated Ugly Fat Friend." To Bianca's surprise, her mother started laughing. "Are you kidding right now?"

"No, sorry," Dottie said through her snickers. "It's just...oh the things you kids come up with for each other! Honey, if you're a DUFF, then I'm a DUFF and your father is a DUFF. We are a DUFFY family."

"Mom!"

"There are so much worse things you could be called, honey," Dottie said. "Look, was it nice of Wes to call you that? No, of course not. It's what you do with it that matters."

"I want to choke him," Bianca admitted.

"Fair enough, but I meant what you will do with the label. I was a Drama Queen in my school. You father was a Nerd. We embraced our labels though. We lived well, and living well is what frustrates people to no end the most." Dottie smiled at her.

"It's so mean though!"

"Yes, but people are mean to each other. We can't change that. We can change our responses to it," Dottie advised. She patted Bianca's leg and stood up.

"That's it? That's my pep talk?"

"Yup. I'm confident you'll figure it out," Dottie winked at her. Before she left, however, Bianca came to another realization.

"You and Dad divorced," she said, making her mother stop in her tracks. She met her daughter's eyes.

"We did," she agreed.

"But...he's living here, and you're..." Bianca stopped. She didn't want to admit she had seen them the other night.

"Well, we originally were only going to go along with it until your memory came back, which I'm so happy to see, by the way, but we discovered our flame hadn't entirely burned out. We are dating again."

"I...that's great," Bianca said, feeling excited. Her parents getting back together? It was almost too crazy to be real.

"I know, right? We'll see how it goes this time," Dottie smiled. Then she was gone. Bianca curled up on her bed, thinking. If her mother could forgive her father for what he'd done and vice versa, then maybe she could too.

 **Madison**

Claire had been so helpful with the whole finding an apartment thing. Madison felt confident coming out of their session that she could handle this. She had texted Caitlyn her plan, and her friend was eager to help. They even discussed living together while going to college or university. Madison still hadn't heard from her mother, and she hadn't been able to go to the house yet. The memories were still too sharp. She knew she had to go sometime, though. She needed some things from her room. She came across Wesley in the mall, and they stopped at the same time.

"What's with you?" she asked, noticing he was depressed looking.

"Nothing," he answered. "How have you been?"

"Great," she replied. "Actually..." She got thinking. If Wes went with her, it might not be so scary. She posed her plan to him, and he surprisingly agreed to help. When they reached her house, she felt tense suddenly.

"Hey," he said, touching her hand. "He's not here anymore."

"I know," she answered. It was still hard, though. Finally, after debating if this was the right thing or not, she got out. Wes followed suit. She opened the door with her key and was immediately swarmed with memories.

"I'm right here," Wes said encouragingly. She smiled at him briefly before continuing on. She went up to her room while Wes wandered around downstairs. Madison grabbed a bag and started throwing stuff into it. When she reached her dresser, she froze. There was an envelope with her name on it waiting for her. She opened it with shaking hands.

 _Madison,_

 _I know I was a horrible mother, and I'm sorry for that. I hope you can move on from all of this and have a perfect life free of fear. I have found that life finally, and I'm not coming back. Sell the house. Take what you want. I'm done with it all. I will miss you, but I feel you won't miss me as much. If you ever want to talk, let your grandmother know. She'll be in contact with me._

 _Again, I'm so sorry._

 _All my love,_

 _Mom_

Madison sucked in her breath sharply. Her mother had abandoned her for good. She wasn't sure how to feel about this.

"Hey, Mads?" Wes called. She went down the stairs and immediately noticed the look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Come look at this," he said, gesturing. She followed him to the garage. He stopped in front of her father's car and pointed.

"What am I looking at?" she asked, confused.

"Madison, look right here," he said, showing her. She looked harder.

"Oh my God," she gasped. There were two dents in the grill, a crack on the windshield, and another dent on the roof of the car. Her mind flashed back to that wretched night. Wes madly chasing after Bianca, and Madison not far behind them.

"Your dad hit B," Wes said quietly. The car was silver, which could have been mistaken for white in his panic.

"W-what do I do now?" she asked.

"You call it in," he answered.

"He would have been drunk," she said suddenly. "That's why he didn't stop. He knew if he got caught he'd be in huge trouble."

"Well, he's already in trouble, so this has to be reported," Wes urged.

"I know. I'll tell them," Madison promised. They went back to Wesley's car and headed over to the police station. Madison took in a deep breath before going inside. She doubted she'd see her father for a long time after this.

 **Later-Dottie & Mike**

It was just before dinner when the knocking sounded. Mike answered to find a police officer standing there.

"Hello, officer," Mike said. "What can I help you with?"

"Sir, we have recent evidence in your daughter's hit and run case," the officer started. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Mike answered, letting him by.

"What's going on?" Dottie asked, seeing the officer.

"We got a break on your daughter's hit and run case. It seems a Mr. Stanley Morgan is responsible. His daughter and her friend found his car in his garage with damage that matches the description of your daughter's injuries," the officer explained. "We went over the car and have sent DNA analysis away to confirm that the blood stain on the roof is indeed from your daughter. We are going to match it to the DNA we have on file of your daughter from the hospital. Mr. Morgan also confessed to the incident. He will be being charged with driving impaired and a hit and run, and, if your daughter agrees to it, she can sue him for damages."

"No," Bianca said from the stairs. She had heard everything. She also knew that Mr. Morgan was in jail for domestic violence.

"Excuse me?" the officer asked.

"I'm not suing. I should have been watching where I was going."

"Bianca, you can't take the blame here," Dottie started.

"I'm not. I'm just saying I was equally to blame. I wish he had stopped, but he didn't. I can't change that. I can only change my response," she said, looking at her mother.

"The driving impaired and hit and run charges will still be placed since he confessed to it," the officer told them.

"Fine, but I'm not suing," Bianca repeated. The officer bowed his head.

"You've got a very kind hearted daughter there," he said to Dottie and Mike before going out the door.

"Bianca," Mike started.

"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "I know maybe some people would jump on the chance of getting money from their misfortune, but I don't want that. I just want him to realize what he's done and try to move on from it."

"Oh, honey," Dottie said, hugging Bianca tightly. She admired her daughter's strength. Mike was surprised. He didn't think he would have been so kind if it had been him. Bianca felt she was doing the right thing. She wondered if the "friend" had been Caitlyn or Wesley. She was surprised Madison had been so different lately. She guessed living that kind of life could make anyone hostile and mean. Bianca hoped Madison would find her own happiness one day.

 **Wesley**

He watched as the officer left. He knew the news that had been delivered, and it was all he had not to race over there and see what happened. If he was Bianca, he'd be relieved to know who had done the crime and that they were behind bars. He wished she would talk to him. She wasn't answering his texts. She wouldn't look out her window at him, and she closed her blinds after he stood there staring at her for almost an hour. He had no idea how he was going to win her back.

 **Days Later**

Bianca had been avoiding Wesley at school. Friday was soon upon them, and with it came prom, but Bianca didn't want to think about dressing up and dancing. She was too busy trying to keep her head from exploding from the random headaches and things that she suddenly remembered again. Toby avoided her as well. He was still embarrassed by his actions. Casey and Jess finally heard about the whole DUFF disaster, and they were as supportive as ever.

"You are SO not the DUFF," Casey said when she heard. Bianca rolled her eyes.

"Yea. Please! I'm the DUFF," Jess added.

"Oh stop it," Bianca snorted.

"It's a stupid label. Honestly, when are people going to grow up?" Casey asked. Just then, Wes walked by. He gave Bianca a sad look.

"Will you forgive him already?" Jess demanded. "He didn't mean it."

"He still kept it from me, like when Toby kept the fact we weren't dating a secret," Bianca pointed out.

"He was going to tell you! So some asshole beat him to it. That's not his fault!" Casey added.

"He only said it cos he thinks you're cute," Jess threw in. "Like when young boys push down girls. It means they like them."

"You guys!" Bianca cut in. "Enough. I need to take one of my painkillers before we go to our next class." They waited while she chucked one down. She could feel another headache rolling around the back of her head. She hoped it would ward it off before it got too bad.

"You're going to prom, right?" Jess asked when they continued on.

"I don't now," Bianca admitted.

"Come on! We'll all go together as single ladies. It'll be fun!" Casey urged.

"I'll think about it," Bianca said. They dropped it then. They knew it was best not to push.

 **Mike & Dottie**

"Well, I guess since Bianca knows we're not married, I should move back home," Mike said sadly. He didn't want to leave. He had missed this house and his girls so much. He realized that now.

"Why don't you go home and pack up your stuff and bring it back here?" Dottie suggested. They'd been sharing the same room since their first date, and she found she didn't want to go back to sleeping alone again.

"Really?"

"Yes. Mike, I want you to live with us again," Dottie said. He picked her up into a huge hug and swung her around. She laughed.

"I love you," he said. Then he realized what he'd said. Dottie was staring at him. "Oh, oh too soon."

"No, it's not," she stopped him. "I just didn't realize you were feeling the same way."

"So you...?"

"I love you too," Dottie finished. Mike kissed her full on then.

"I'll go get my stuff," he said breathlessly afterwards. Dottie laughed again. Pepper barked with joy in the background. Things were finally getting back to the way they were.

* * *

 **Only one more chapter to go! Review faster and I'll update it faster ;)**


	13. Forgiveness

**Because I got a review so quickly, I'm in a fabulous mood, and because I want to have this story complete after almost a year, here is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy. Thank you all for following me on this journey! Please feel free to leave me a review if you want more Wes & Bianca stories in the future :)**

* * *

Bianca was happy her father had moved back in. He was still unloading boxes, and her mother was teasing him for just haphazardly throwing stuff into boxes without labeling them. Pepper was running back and forth between her room and downstairs, and Bianca was trying not to think about Wesley among all of it.

"Bianca! Jess and Casey are here!" Dottie called up the stairs.

"Hi, Mr. P," Casey said. "Good to see you back."

"It's good to be back," Mike beamed at them. He went out to get another box.

"You coming tonight?" Jess asked once they were in Bianca's room.

"I dunno..."

"Pleeeaaase?!" Jess begged.

"Yea come on. Please?" Casey added.

"I have nothing to wear," Bianca told them. Jess immediately started raiding her closet. "Unless..."

"NO!" they both shouted. Not the damn plaid shirt over the party t-shirt.

"You're no fun," Bianca mock pouted.

"I have a GREAT idea," Jess said suddenly. "And it won't take long for me to whip off." She had asked Wes where he'd bought the dress for Bianca since her original one had been destroyed, and she pulled it out now. Bianca froze upon seeing it. A lot of traumatic memories were associated with that outfit.

"I'm going to transform it," Jess promised. She pulled out the plaid shirt. Casey raised a brow at her.

"How?"

"You'll see," Jess promised.

"All right, but I better not look stupid," Bianca said. Jess got to work.

 **Wesley**

"I'm going out tonight," Wes said to his mother. She was staring out the window absently. The house had been much quieter since his father had left. He had taken the divorce papers surprisingly well.

"Have fun," she replied, not looking at him.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he said, not sure what else to say.

"It's fine. I miss him, but I won't miss the fighting. It'll get better," she told him with a weak smile. He gave her a hug before going out the door. He wasn't really sure why he was going to prom. He felt like he needed to be there.

 **Madison**

She had found a great place. She was going to look at it again tomorrow before making her decision. Claire had congratulated her, and Madison was beginning to feel like she wouldn't need to frequent Claire's office so much anymore. Caitlyn was all ready for prom, and Madison was almost there. She wasn't sure why she was going, but it was going to be a good night. She didn't care if she was Prom Queen or anything else. She just wanted to have fun for once in her life without someone ruining it for her. She was nervous about seeing Bianca even though Bianca had told her the other day it wasn't her fault for what her father did to her. Madison felt she could have prevented it if she'd just been brave enough to tell someone what had been going on in her house for so long.

"You ready?" Caitlyn asked, poking her head in.

"Yes," Madison agreed. "I'm ready."

 **At the Prom**

The hushed whispers and stares followed them as they made their way to the gym. Bianca felt incredibly nervous. What was she going to say to Wesley anyway? That was the reason she was even here, she realized that now. Jess and Casey strutted beside her, proud to show off their friend. Once they entered the gym, it was a confusing mass of people.

"Where would he even be?" Bianca asked. The girls craned their necks, looking.

"Let's split up," Casey suggested. They went their separate ways. Bianca wandered around the punch table area when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun, hoping to find Wes. Instead...

"Hi," Toby said.

"You," Bianca said in return. He looked deflated.

"Yea, me. Look, I wanted to apologize again for being an asshole," Toby said.

"Apology accepted," Bianca said immediately.

"Really?"

"Yes. Excuse me, I'm trying to find someone."

"Wes, right?"

"Yea..."

"If anyone is going to get the girl, it should be him," Toby said.

"Excuse me?"

"I think I really said I was dating you not only to prove I was a nice guy but because I wanted Wes to know he couldn't just have every girl he wanted. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you shouldn't have," Bianca agreed.

"Can we at least be friends?" Toby asked. He held out his hand hopefully. Bianca stared at it.

"Why not?" she said, shaking it. "Just don't ever pretend to date me again."

"I won't," he promised. She moved away from him then, still trying to find Wes. She spotted him in the middle of the dance floor, so she headed his way. By the look on his face, she knew she had taken his breath away.

"Wow," he said when she approached.

"Yea. You can thank Jess," she joked.

"I will," he nodded. "So, you're talking to me again?"

"I am. Look, Wes, I'm mad that you told me I was a DUFF, but I realize now that it's stupid to be mad about it when clearly we'd gotten over it already."

"That's what I was tryi-"

"I know," Bianca said, cutting him off. "Wes, I'm sorry I blew up at you and the avoided you. Can we start again?" He stood there making a show of pondering the decision.

"Wes!" she said, laughing. He started to laugh too.

"Of course we can start again," he told her. "I've been dying to do that ever since you woke up."

"Really?" she asked.

"Well, that's not all I've been dying to do," he admitted.

"Oh?"

"Come here," he said, pulling her close. He let his lips land on hers and kissed her ferociously.

"Aww," Jess said, putting her hands on her heart. She and Casey were standing a bit away, watching.

"About time," Casey laughed. They turned away to give their friends some privacy.

"Wow," Bianca said after Wes pulled away. "That was...amazing."  
"I had an amazing teacher," he grinned. Then she remembered. On the rock. Wes kissing her. Her feelings that started after that.

"Well," she said, feigning cockiness. Wes kissed her again.

"I love you, Bianca Piper," he said after. His words crashed into her mind. She recalled hearing them before.

"I love you too, Wesley Rush," she answered. He pulled on her hand.

"Let's get out of here," he suggested. She didn't think twice. They ran out of the school laughing and kissing. It was indeed the best prom they'd ever gone to.

...

 **Three Days Later**

 **Madison**

Madison took the keys from her new landlord and smiled. She was now a home owner, and she couldn't thank Claire enough for giving her support and encouragement. Madison shut the door behind the landlord and swiveled to survey her new place. It was perfect for her. She couldn't wait to move her things from her parents' house into it. Since it was being sold, she could take whatever she wanted. She didn't need much, and she didn't want much from that hellhole, but there were certain heirlooms she wanted to keep. She pulled out her phone.

 **I'm home!** she texted Caitlyn.

 **Great! I'll be right there.**

Madison smiled. It truly did feel like home.

 **Bianca**

Bianca looked at this man behind the glass and saw someone who was broken, someone who knew they had lost everything. She felt Wes tense up behind her. She knew he was still furious at what happened. Bianca held the phone in her hand, and she waited for Mr. Morgan to pick up his. After a moment, he did.

"Yea?" he asked. His voice was gruff and raspy.

"Hi, my name is Bianca Piper," she started. "You might not know me, but I'm here to tell you something."

"Uh huh."

"One night, almost two months ago, you hit me with your car. You left me for dead," Bianca started. Mr. Morgan visibly tensed across from her. "I suffered a coma and still have painful headaches among other injuries," she went on. "But I survived."

"Good for you," Mr. Morgan said sarcastically.

"Let me finish," she cut him off. "Mr. Morgan, I understand you are an alcoholic. I understand that you were driving under the influence the night you struck me with your car. I understand that you probably freaked out and kept driving because you knew what you had done. I'm not here to yell at you or sue you despite what my family and friends tell me. You are already being punished just by being here. I'm sorry that you suffer from a horrible addiction, and I'm sorry that now you're stuck in here paying a price for an action you did to your wife while under the influence. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I forgive you. I'm okay now, and I truly hope that one day, you'll be okay too." She stopped talking then, watching Mr. Morgan carefully. The man looked like he was struggling to keep it together. Wes squeezed her shoulder for reassurance. When Mr. Morgan didn't say anything further, Bianca hung up her phone and stood up. As they walked out, she took one look behind her and saw that Mr. Morgan was sobbing.

"You are incredible," Wes said once they were outside. Bianca looked over at him.

"How so?"

"You just are. I don't know if I could have forgiven him," he confessed. She stopped walking and pulled him close to her.

"If you ever want complete closure on things in life, you should forgive," she said. "It doesn't mean I'll forget, and it doesn't mean that every now and then I won't think about it and be upset, but I can't hold on to the anger and hate because in the end, it will destroy me, not him. He will destroy himself with his own guilt and shame for his past, but I hope one day he can forgive himself and heal."

"I love you," Wes said when she finished. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently.

"And I love you," she whispered after. They smiled at each other and started walking again. The sun's rays were warm as they held each other's hands and started their journey together.

 **The End**


End file.
